Because of Ralph
by WriterFreak001
Summary: "Ralph, even though tired, sensed something wrong. "Mom," he looked at Paige as he tapped her arm. Paige immediately gave him her attention. / "Hm?" / "Something's not right." (This fic takes place between 2x13 "White Out" and 2x14 "Sun of a Gun" BEFORE the Linda & Tim drama unfolds in the series.)
1. Chapter 1

**WriterFreak001:**

This story was inspired by WeBuiltThePyramid's "In the Name of Science." So thank you, Nicole, for being my writing muse tonight. :)

* * *

 **Title** | Because of Ralph

 **Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

 **Description** | "Ralph, even though tired, sensed something wrong. "Mom," he looked at Paige as he tapped her arm. Paige immediately gave him her attention. / "Hm?" / "Something's not right." (This fic takes place between 2x13 "White Out" and 2x14 "Sun of a Gun" BEFORE the Linda  & Tim drama unfolds in the series.)

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T.

 **Disclaimer** | I don't own Scorpion. (Though I wish I did).

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" _Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity_." - Henry Van Dyke

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

"I know it was a last minute necessity, but thank you, again, for letting me bring Ralph with us on this case," Paige smiled at Walter appreciatively as she mindlessly combed her fingers through her son's thick strands of hair. "It really means a lot."

Walter looked down at a beaming Ralph as he leaned backwards against his mother and then found himself looking at Paige with a small smile forming on his lips. "It's no problem. This case, thank goodness, was relatively easy, and it wouldn't have been done as fast if it wasn't for Ralph's help." Walter knelt down to the floor and gestured the boy for a high five and was given one almost immediately. He gave Ralph a knowing grin and then pushed himself to his feet before saying, "Too bad the case couldn't have been closer to LA."

"I know, right?" Paige laughed melodiously as her hands rested on top of Ralph's shoulders. "At least they're paying for our room and board so… there's _that_. _And_ they've been pretty generous with food, too," she laughed as she patted her stomach, "Almost _too_ generous."

"Yes, the food has been good." Walter nodded in agreement. "Too bad Cabe, Toby, Happy, and Sly missed it, though. I think they would have at least enjoyed the suite accommodations."

"It _is_ a nice suite." Paige gave Walter a small smile, and they stood there in silence for a moment, staring at each other, taking the moment in, completely unaware of Ralph looking up at them and noticing their quiet exchange. "A-Anyway," Paige eventually broke the silence with an awkward laugh, and bent down to kiss Ralph's forehead, "even if they could have made it, it couldn't have been helped."

"True. Their assistance was needed elsewhere this weekend, which is why," Walter, once again, grinned at Ralph and absentmindedly reached over and ruffled the boy's hair, "I am really grateful things worked out to where Ralph could come and assist. His help was greatly warranted."

Ralph beamed even more as Paige smiled proudly at her little genius. "He never ceases to amaze me," Paige gently squeezed her son's shoulders and watched Walter give Ralph another appreciative smile, making the boy grin impossibly wider. The gentle exchange between the two geniuses melted the young mother's heart. There was nothing sexier than a man being fatherly to her son, and if Ralph wasn't currently standing between them, she wouldn't put it past her to forego their agreement to remain professional and then grab Walter by the lapels and kiss him senselessly. It was precious moments like this that tempted Paige the most.

If only she knew that Walter had been tempted too.

"Well," Walter pushed himself off of the ground and slightly arched his back until it popped. He rolled his neck and then shrugged his shoulders as an attempt to rid of the kinks in his muscles before flexing his fingers. "Shall we go back to the suite?"

Both Dineens nodded, but as they started down the hall from the lobby towards the elevator, Walter's cellphone went off. Walter dug his phone out of his pocket and stopped walking to answer it. After a brief conversation, Paige looked at him curiously as he slipped his cell back into his pocket.

"Everything all right?"

"Yes," Walter nodded. "That was Carl. He said we left before he could give us our payment. I thought he was going to want an invoice first so that was why I didn't think to stick around. Anyway, he was hoping one of us could stop by the office and pick it up before he leaves for the night since we'll be leaving early in the morning to catch a flight back to LA."

"You go ahead," Paige smiled softly as Ralph leaned against her side, squeezing her hand gently. "It's getting late, and I need to get Ralph to bed." She tugged her son closer to her as he yawned, and she laughed lightly. "See? Case in point."

"Are you sure?" Walter was hoping she would change her mind. "I could carry Ralph for you and after he's tucked in, I can go and pick up the checks."

Paige shook her head slowly. "We'll be fine. Besides," she rested her hand on top of Ralph's head, "it would be inefficient."

"Truuuue, but," Walter took a step towards her and flexed his fingers, "getting Ralph to bed on time is more important. I'm sure Carl won't mind waiting a few extra minutes."

"Walter," Paige touched his arm lightly, "we'll be fine. Don't let our client wait. We don't want to inconvenience him."

"If you insist…" Walter pursed his lips and nodded, causing Paige to giggle.

"I do insist. Now, go," Paige playfully shooed him towards the hotel entrance. "We'll be in the suite waiting for you."

"Okay," Walter surrendered as Paige reluctantly slid her fingers down to her side. He knelt down and, once more, ruffled Ralph's hair as Paige moved her hand to the boy's shoulder. "Be good for your mom," he grinned softly at Ralph, and Ralph yawned in response, nodding his head slowly. Walter then looked up at Paige, and lifted his eyebrows when he caught her smiling widely at him. The way her eyes sparkled at him made his heart – a muscle that was _supposed_ to be nothing more than a circulatory muscle, soar in ways he could not explain. It took every fiber in his being not to kiss her right then and there. And God, did he want to, too.

It had almost been a year since their first kiss, and he still couldn't forget the way her lips felt against his or how she melted against him as he towered her over her desk. If only he didn't pull away when he did. Things could have been different between them. If he didn't jump away from her back _then_ , he could be kissing her now and anytime he wanted to without hesitation. Without thinking about it. Without regrets.

But because he was a moron and a coward, _both_ of them had to live with their decision to remain professional.

He rose to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets to try to suppress the strong desire to reach out and touch her. But even when concealed, they couldn't stop flexing. "S-See you later?"

"Of course," Paige grinned as Ralph nodded sluggishly.

"Okay then," Walter took a step backwards towards the lobby, "I guess I'll… I guess I'll be going then." He turned slowly around and sauntered away, unsure if he should leave Paige and Ralph alone. He absolutely trusted them and their abilities to protect themselves, but he had this unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was warning him against leaving them, but Paige was right. He couldn't keep Carl waiting too much longer.

"Wait right here," Paige whispered to Ralph and then called the other genius's name. Walter stopped dead in his tracks and spun around to find Paige jogging up to him. She slowed her pace as she neared him and then, to his surprise, cupped his cheek with her right hand and jumped up to press a quick kiss against his cheek. His face suddenly felt hot, and he cocked an eyebrow at her as she hovered her lips in front of his ear, whispering, "Thank you again, Walter. I really _do_ appreciate you allowing Ralph to come with us."

"It was n-no problem," he couldn't help the dorky grin growing on his lips. Truth be told, one of the main reasons Walter allowed Ralph to accompany them was because he was too nervous to spend a weekend – even if it was for a case – with Paige, alone. He was still trying to sort his feelings for her, and if he had spent the night in a hotel room with her, even if in separate beds, he didn't think he'd be able to think straight. Just the initial thought of spending time alone with Paige in _any_ setting often short-circuited his brain, and he couldn't afford to mess up a case. Ralph, so to speak, was a buffer between him and Paige, and although he appreciated the young boy's help today, his presence on the trip, for _other_ reasons, was greatly necessitated. "I'm glad he was able to come."

"Having him help on the case totally made his day, and by extension, _my_ day," Paige beamed as she popped another kiss on Walter's cheek. This time, keeping her lips on his skin a few seconds longer. She smiled at him and gently rubbed away the lip print on his cheek before returning to her son. Walter just stood there with a hand on his cheek, unable to say or do anything but watch Paige.

Paige smirked as she noticed him still staring at her and called his name softly. "Walter."

The genius said nothing.

She added a gentle tune to the sound of his name. "Wallllterrrr."

Walter blinked his eyes. "Hm? What? Did you say something?"

"Carl's still waiting."

"Oh! Right. Yep. Going now." Walter's legs suddenly felt like jelly. He wobbled backwards and back-kicked a small table, almost knocking an expensive-looking vase off of it. The genius, even in his embarrassingly weakened state of body and mind, managed to catch it in time, place it back on the center of the table and whirl around towards the lobby entrance. Paige just rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head as she turned herself and her son around and headed for the elevator.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

Paige let Ralph push the up arrow button and hummed lightly as they waited for the doors to open. Ralph quietly watched the numbers descend and gently squeezed his mother's hand. "Mom?"

Paige bent down and met her son's eyes. "Yes, sweetie?"

"Do you like Walter?"

Paige's eyes widened in surprise but quickly softened as she slowly smiled. "Yes. I do."

"Does he like you?"

"I... I think so." Paige honestly didn't know if he still had feelings for her, but something told her he did… that, no matter what happens between them, their feelings for each other will never go away, and she hoped he believed that, too. That her feelings for him, no matter what, would always be there. He could do the absolute dumbest thing in the world, and she would still love him.

"Then why are you two not together?" Ralph asked innocently. "Aren't you supposed to date the person you like?"

Paige inhaled a deep breath and smiled sweetly at her son as she bent down to speak to him. "It's a bit more complicated than that, Ralph." She smoothed the lapels of his black sports coat and gently poked his nose. "Sometimes, when grownups like each other but work together, they have to put aside their feelings for the betterment of the company. It's not an easy thing to do, but… it's necessary. You understand?"

"Sort of," Ralph yawned. "Sounds a lot like the Greater Good principle."

"In a way," Paige laughed sadly, "it is."

"Do you think you and Walter will ever date?" Ralph smacked his lips together, and Paige gave him a warm smile as she rose back to her feet to await the elevator.

"Maybe."

Ralph grinned softly. "Good." He squeezed her hand again. "He makes you happy, and you make him happy," he paused and beamed tiredly at his mother. "I like seeing you and Walter both happy."

Paige bent over and kissed the top of her son's head as she wrapped him in her arms for a gentle hug. He leaned against her, and she held him tighter. ' _When did you grow up so fast?'_ She picked him up into her arms and stood for an additional minute before noticing the number 6 illuminating.

It was still going to be a few more minutes.

As another minute passed by, a young, pregnant woman stood a few feet away from her, also waiting for the elevator. Paige smiled at her, and she gave the liaison a small, unenthusiastic smile back. Paige, with Ralph still in her arms, walked over to her and greeted her. "Hi."

The young woman angled herself towards Paige and nodded towards her nervously. "Hi."

"First born?"

The woman placed a hand on her belly and nodded again. "Her due date is in a few days so…," she forced a laugh, "I guess I'll actually have to find a place to live when she's born."

Paige suddenly gave the young woman her full attention. "You live at the hotel?"

"Temporarily," the woman muttered quietly. "I… It's a long story."

Paige shifted Ralph's weight onto her other arm as a small smile colored her lips. "Well, if you need someone to talk to, I was just returning to the suite to put Ralph to bed and wouldn't mind the company while I wait for my boss to return from his meeting. Anything you want to talk about, I'd be more than happy to listen."

"Thanks, but…," the pregnant woman forced a grin, "I think I'll be all right. The name's Emily, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, Emily," the liaison smiled. "My name is Paige."

Before Emily could say anything, the elevator beeped, and the doors drew open. A few people pushed their way out of the cubical, clearing it out. Paige allowed Emily to walk inside first before following her with Ralph still in her arms. They waited a few more seconds, and then a tall, young man swiftly walked inside, accompanied by a little girl. Just before the doors closed, another woman – with coffee in one hand and her phone in the other – squeezed through the door. Each of them pressed their floor buttons, and Paige finally and carefully let Ralph down. She splayed her hand over his chest, pinning him close to her and gripped the handle bar as she leaned backwards against it and closed her eyes as the elevator began to lift.

"Daddy," the little girl mumbled as her father picked her up and held her in his arms, "Where's Mommy?"

"Upstairs in the hotel room," her father whispered. "You'll see her soon, Kelly. Just give it a couple of minutes."

Suddenly, the elevator did not open for its first stop and continued rising, going slightly faster. The coffee woman protested immediately.

Ralph, even though tired, sensed something wrong. "Mom," he looked at Paige as he tapped her arm. Paige immediately gave him her attention.

"Hm?"

"Something's not right."

The elevator missed the next stop.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because, we're going much faster than recommended, and the elevator has now missed two stops." He paused. "Make that now three."

A few seconds passed, and Paige released the calm breath she had been holding. "Perhaps there's a fluke. Maybe all we need to do is wait for the elevator to run its course and then start over with the buttons."

"No," Ralph shook his head violently. "Something isn't right."

"What's happening?!" Emily exclaimed as the level indicator swiftly changed numbers. She grabbed the rail and inhaled deep breaths as the other people began wondering the same thing. "What's going on?!"

Almost immediately, the elevator stopped ascending and jerked everyone in different directions before the lights went out.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

Again, this is going to be a relatively short fic, and I will update next after I update _The Scorpion_. Please let me know if you think I should continue.


	2. Chapter 2

**WriterFreak001:**

I will explain more about how this fic was inspired by WeBuiltThePyramid's _In the Name of Science_ , but in case any of you are confused, the actual scene that was influenced by ITNOS will be in the final chapter. The case, itself, has nothing to do with ITNOS. ;)

ANYWAY, sorry for the delay. Been having technical difficulties, and I probably will for a while. I'll update when I can, but my computer is slowly, slowly dying, and there's only so much I can do on it anymore. :/

Anyway, enough about my problems. I think Paige and Ralph have more worries than me at the moment.

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" _I'll never stop dreaming that one day we can be a real family, together, all of us laughing and talking, loving and understanding, not looking at the past but only to the future." – LaToya Jackson_

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 **Chapter Two**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

"Ralph? Ralph!" Paige exclaimed, extending her hands in the dark, frantically searching for her son and ignoring the sharp pain in her shoulder. She tried listening for her son over the other cries of panic and called his name out again, praying to hear him say something. When she didn't hear him, her heart clenched tightly in her chest. Her shaking hands searched for her phone inside her purse, and the moment she found it, she turned on the flashlight and pointed the LED rays away from her. Emily was in the corner, rubbing her side and groaning. The other woman was on her knees, grasping her head in pain, and Kelly was crying loudly, trying to shake her father awake, but there was still no sight of Ralph.

Paige's hands were shaking violently as she started screaming her son's name. A few suffocating seconds passed, and then a small hand stretched out from underneath the man and started waving wildly before smacking against the man's side. "RALPH!" Paige immediately dropped to her knees and with one Mama Bear shove, she pushed the unconscious man upward, rolling him onto his back as her son inhaled deeply, catching his breath. Paige immediately strung her arms around him and pulled him tightly against her, not caring for the throbbing pain pulsing over her shoulder blade.

She kissed his forehead and closed her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. "A-Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Paige firmly gripped Ralph's face and examined him as best as she could in the dim light, and he shook his head.

"I'm okay." He suddenly frowned. "My ankle feels funny though."

"You may have sprained it," Paige mumbled as she pulled him in for another hug. This time, she yelped in pain and immediately withdrew her arms from Ralph.

"Mom!"

"No. I'm okay. I'm okay, sweetie," Paige forced a grin as she reached over and squeezed his hand. "My shoulder's a bit sore, but I'm sure I just dislocated it or something. Nothing a doctor can't fix."

Paige blindly ran her fingers through Ralph's hair and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "Can you stand?"

"I think so. Yeah."

"Okay." Paige nodded slowly. "Don't get up right now. Just rest your feet. That way, when it matters most, you'll have enough energy and strength to stand." Paige then handed Ralph her phone. "Whatever you do, don't drop or let go of this. Shine it towards the others; I'm going to check to see if they're okay."

"Okay." Ralph said as pointed the light towards the man. "I think he might have had a concussion. He doesn't seem conscious."

Paige favored her right arm and crawled towards the man, hovering her fingers in front of his lips. "He's still breathing." She checked his pulse. "His pulse is strong, too. He probably smacked his head when he hit the floor, but I think he's going to be fine." She turned to Kelly and gave the crying girl a small smile. "Your daddy's going to be okay. He's just sleeping right now, and he needs you to be a big girl for him and be brave, okay?"

Kelly hiccupped loudly as her sobs lessened, and she nodded slowly.

"I know you don't know me," Paige, ignoring the pain in her shoulder once again, cupped the little girl's face and gently wiped away her tears, "but could you do me a huge favor and keep my son company? His foot hurts and could use a new friend while I help the other injured people."

Kelly glanced over to Ralph and then stared at her daddy, sniffing loudly. "I want my mommy."

"I know, sweetie. I know." Paige soothingly rubbed her back. "We all have people we want to see, and that's why you need to be strong, okay? So, when we get out of here, you can show your mommy and daddy how brave you were. Okay?"

Kelly sniffled and nodded slightly before waddling towards Ralph. Paige gave her son a knowing look to watch over Kelly, and he responded with a nod of the head, understanding her immediately. Before checking on the others, she pushed the OPEN DOOR button multiple times, but nothing, as expected, happened. She sighed quietly and approached the woman grasping her head and reached out for her.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

She swatted the young mother's hand away and turned away from her. "I'm fine."

"Your eyebrow. It's bleeding." Paige dug a hand into her purse and flung out a handkerchief before offering it to the woman. "Here. This should help at least."

"I don't need it," she scowled.

Paige frowned but didn't press further. "I'll leave it here just in case," she said as she placed it down in front of the obstinate woman. Without another word, she walked over to Emily and knelt down beside her. "How's the baby?"

Emily rubbed her swollen belly and inhaled a deep breath. "I think she's fine."

"How about you? How are _you_ feeling?"

"A little sore in the bum, but nothing too serious. I'll survive." Emily flashed Paige a small smile. "I just hope I don't go into labor before we get out of here."

"You and me, both." Paige chuckled lightly, easing the tension. "I'm going to go back to my son and see if I can call my friend, Walter. If anyone is capable of figuring out what's going on and helping us out of here, it's him."

"Good luck," Emily groaned as she sat up and rested her back against the wall. "I tried my cell while you were tending to that little girl. No reception."

"Don't worry," Paige smiled and glanced at her son. "We have one of the smartest people in the world with us today; I'm sure he'll be able to figure something out."

"No offence, but…," Emily chuckled softly, "I never pegged you as a genius, but I guess, since you're so calm and collected and all, it kind of makes sense."

"Oh, I'm not a genius," Paige shook her head swiftly. "My son is."

"Puh-lease," the stubborn woman scoffed. "As if a kid could figure out what to do in this situation."

Paige frowned, feeling the need to defend her baby boy. "Now just wait a minute! Just beca—"

"Mom!" Ralph exclaimed, causing her to withhold her thoughts and return her attention to him.

"What is it, honey?"

"I hacked into the hotel's WiFi system with your phone and have connected to Skype. Walter's not on, but it looks like Sylvester might be. He can patch us through to Walter from the garage." He paused to swallow. "Do you want me to Skype Sly?"

"Yes," Paige immediately answered, making her way back to her son and ignoring the stares she was receiving from the other two women. Paige carefully sat down next to Ralph and squeezed his arm as Ralph skyped Sylvester.

It felt like an eternity as they waited for Sylvester to answer, and once he did, Paige let out the breath she didn't even know she was holding. Before Sylvester even greeted them, Ralph spoke quickly and clearly. "You need to get a message to Walter."

"Why?! What's wrong?!" Sylvester blanched as Ralph held out his mother's phone so he could see both of them in the video chat. "Is everything all right?!"

"We're fine," Paige answered swiftly. "Sly, please, just… patch us through to Walter. We'll explain what's going on as soon as he's on the line."

"S-Sure thing," Sylvester stammered and dialed Walter's number.

Paige slumped backwards and groaned as her shoulder smacked against the wall but immediately became alert when the constant ringing stopped.

"Hello?"

 **~ SCORPION ~**

"Again, I apologize immensely for this," Carl gave Walter a small smile as he shook the genius's hand. "Had you been leaving at a later time tomorrow, I would have sent for you in the morning, but since you weren't, I figured you wouldn't want to leave St. Louis without your compensation."

"It's no problem," Walter forced a grin as he pocketed the checks into his briefcase. "We were just returning to the hotel when you called so we weren't too far from the office."

"Which reminds me," Carl's eyebrows lifted as he sidestepped towards his desk and opened his checkbook again. He licked his pen and glanced up at Walter over his spectacles with a gentle grin. "What's your son's name again?"

"Oh, he's not my son," Walter chuckled as he awkwardly scratched at his nape.

"Really?" Carl cocked an eyebrow. "With the way the three of you were working, I assumed you were a family."

"Oh, we are," Walter nodded swiftly but then quickly added, "and we're not. It's… It's a long story," Walter cleared his throat and pursed his lips together before tugging at his collar. "His name is Ralph. Ralph Dineen."

Carl nodded and returned to his checkbook before ripping it off and handing it to Walter. "He deserves a share, too."

"Thank you," Walter replied as he shook Carl's hand again. "I'll… I'll give it to his mom and see what she wants to do with it." After Walter slipped the check into his briefcase, he cleared his throat and leaned towards Carl. "So… you thought w-we were a family?"

Carl chuckled as Walter flexed his fingers at the mere thought of being mistaken for Paige's husband. Though marrying Paige would certainly be outside the realm of possibility when it came to Walter O'Brien, the thought, in its own right, wasn't entirely unpleasant. After all, he did – occasionally – have dreams of settling down with her and raising a family with her (but nobody needed to know that).

"The three of you seem like a good bunch," was all Carl would say, and Walter didn't question him further.

As Walter readjusted his briefcase and offered Carl another forced grin, his phone blasted from his pocket, prompting him to dig for it and answer it. "Hello?"

"Paige and Ralph need to talk to you!" Sylvester exclaimed into his phone, unsure what else to say. "It's urgent!"

"Okay?" Walter cocked an eyebrow as that sickening feeling started to surface again. "I'll give them a call."

"No! They're already on the line! I mean, they're on a different line, but they contacted me through Skype because they couldn't find a way to contact you." Sylvester inhaled a deep breath and gulped loudly. "They're already patched through so just… hear what they have to say."

Walter breathed in slowly to calm his nerves and then exhaled before lowering his voice so Carl wouldn't overhear him. "Paige? Ralph? Is… Is everything all right?"

"Something's wrong with the elevator," Ralph was the first to speak. "We ascended too quickly, and it suddenly stopped. People have injuries. A man is unconscious, and the electricity is out. Mom tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge."

The color drained from Walter's face, and his blanched expression did not go unnoticed by Carl. "How's… How's your mother?"

"I'm fine," Paige's wavering voice echoed into Walter's ear. "Walter," she spoke more softly, "I'm fine. Just sore, but no serious injuries."

"Mom," Ralph cut her off. "You can't move your shoulder without causing yourself great discomfort."

"Walter," Paige cleared her throat, "I'm fine. Really, I am."

Walter ran his hand through his hair and let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Stay in contact with Sly. I'm going to hang up and call 911, and as I'm making my way back to the hotel, I'll call again. Just… stay calm. Tell everyone to stay calm and save their energies. You'll be out before you know it."

"I'll contact Toby, Happy, and Cabe," Sylvester said, and Walter nodded to himself.

"Do that." Walter shuffled his feet and looked at his watch. "We may need their help consulting with the professionals onsite."

"Noted," Sly replied, tapping on this keyboard. "I'll also hack into the hotel's blueprints and see if I can find schematics for the elevator in question."

"Good idea," Walter nodded again before calling Paige's name. "Paige?"

"Hm?"

"I _promise_ I will get you out of there. You _and_ Ralph." Walter balled his fingers into a fist and lowered his voice, saying, "Have faith in me, okay?"

"Always," Paige muttered almost incoherently. "Just… hurry."

"I'll be as fast as I can."

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

And the suspense continues. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**WriterFreak001:**

Sorry for the delay!

I'm no mechanic so… in case things are not real, always suspend your disbelief! :)

An important note is listed at the end of the chapter.

* * *

" _Sometimes, though, we let ourselves get so used to being 'fine' that we lose track of how 'not fine' we are."_ – Martina Boone, Compulsion

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

By the time Walter returned to the hotel and approached the lobby elevator, a team of technicians were bickering back and forth about how to approach the situation, and a team of paramedics were on standby.

"Okay, Happy, what do I need to do?" Walter flipped the camera of his phone to show the mechanic the layout of the lobby, and she slowly surveyed the room.

"I can't tell. Is there a control panel next to the elevator?"

"I'm not sure. Give me a sec," Walter mumbled as he approached group of technicians. As he circled around them to examine the elevator doors more closely, one of the burly men cleared his throat and frowned down on him.

"Excuse me," the man stepped in front of Walter to block his path, "you are not authorized to be over here. If you need to return to your room, take the stairs."

"I'm not here to return to my room," Walter grumbled as he tried to step around the technician. "I'm here to help my friends. They're trapped in that elevator, and the longer you stand in my way," Walter was almost growling now, "the longer it will take to save them."

"Just step back and let us do our jobs," the technician gave Walter a tiny shove, but the genius grabbed the man's wrist and smacked it away.

"How about _you_ step back and let _me_ do _my_ job," Walter snapped as he forced his way past the man, not taking 'no' for an answer. He ignored the stares he was receiving from the other technicians and said, "I don't see a control panel next to the elevator…."

"Find an employee and tell them to take you down to the basement level of the hotel. If the control panel isn't in the lobby, then it's most likely in the basement," Happy replied through the phone, and Walter nodded immediately, pushing himself away from the elevator. Without consulting with the technicians, Walter did as he was told and left to find an employee, unaware that the head technician – the man who had tried to stop Walter from working – had followed.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

Paige had finally taken a seat next to Ralph after triple checking on everyone else, and leaned back against the wall, hissing when her shoulder pressed against the plaster. Ralph immediately looked at her, and even though she could barely see him, she flashed a forced smile, reassuring him she was okay, but she really wasn't. Her head hurt, she felt woozy, she was incredibly chilly, and the pain in her shoulder was worsening by the minute. No matter how she felt, though, she had to stay strong for everyone else.

As she tipped her head back and stared into the darkness above her, she cradled her phone in front of her as she waited for Walter to call again. In order to consult with Happy, he had to have Sly end the Skype conversation, but he promised he would call again within the hour.

That seemed like forever ago.

Maybe… maybe if she just closed her eyes for a little while, everything would soon be okay…. Maybe she should just… sleep this whole nightmare off, and whenever she wakes up, it'll all be over.

"Mom," Ralph nudged her slightly, jerking her awake. She felt clammy, and her skin was colder than usual. He dug his own phone out of his pocket and turned on its flashlight so he could see her better. "I don't think you dislocated your shoulder."

"Ralph," Paige wanted to close her eyes again, "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me, sweetie." She turned slowly and flashed him another forced smile as she placed her hand on his knee and gently squeezed it. "I'm sore, but I'm okay."

"But you're not, Mom," Ralph replied candidly, not hiding the frown pulling at his lips. "You exhausted yourself looking after everyone else, and ignored your shoulder injury. You're cold. You're sweaty. You can't seem to keep your eyes open very well… I…," Ralph swallowed thickly, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, and exhaled loudly through his nose, "I t-think you might be losing blood…. If not in your shoulder, then – Mom!"

Paige shook herself awake again, and Ralph was suddenly on his knees, shining his phone in her face. She winced from the bright light and rose her hand to block it.

"You need to stay awake, Mom," Ralph instructed, and she blinked her eyes several times, unsure what else to do to keep herself from falling asleep. Ralph, without asking, gently pushed her forward and pointed his phone light towards her shoulder, seeing a deep, dark trail of blood soaking into her light pink blouse. There was a gash – he wasn't sure how deep it was – just above her shoulder blade.

He swallowed his panic and focused his mind, knowing he needed to stay as calm as possible. He shrugged off his denim jacket and pressed it hard against the cut, instructing her to lean against the wall again to keep it in place. When she didn't respond, he snapped his fingers loud into her ears, and, once again, she jerked awake.

"Mom," Ralph spoke slowly, "stay awake."

"I'm trying," she grumbled lowly.

Ralph inhaled another deep breath and squeezed his mother's arm, knowing a sense of discomfort could help keeping her from falling asleep again. "If you can't stay awake for yourself, at least try to stay awake for me and Walter." Ralph hated using the Walter card, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Walter won't be able to function properly if he can't talk to you. He'll start to panic, and he won't be able to think clearly so you _need_ to stay awake so you can continue giving him peace of mind. We need Walter to be at his best, and only you can help him get there."

Paige sat up and pushed herself forward as Ralph grabbed his jacket as it fell off of her shoulder and pinned it against her wound again.

"I'll keep pressure on your wound; you just… you just worry about staying awake, okay?" Ralph heard a tired response and sighed softly, disappointed with himself for not insisting on checking his mother's shoulder earlier. She said she had been fine, and he believed her. He should have known not to trust the word 'fine.' Walter used it all the time when he wasn't actually fine, and so did his mother from time to time.

He should have known better.

He should have known….

Ralph clenched his teeth, wanting so desperately to punch something for his ignorance. He wasn't a doctor. He didn't know how to help his mom other than what he was doing now…, but if he could locate the source of her injury…, maybe it would help Toby help her.

He scanned the elevator, pointing his light in different directions, and ignored the protests from the other guests. Then he saw it and blanched, his panic suddenly rising again.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

"Nothing about the control panel seems out of the ordinary," Happy replied after examining the panel through Walter's phone and frowned. "The control panel looks like it's designed to control all elevators at once. Everything looks like its wired in series, meaning if they shut one elevator down, they shut all of them down by default, probably as a safety protocol."

Walter frowned and sighed. "So you're saying the elevator's malfunction isn't an accident."

"Correct," Happy's voice echoed throughout the basement. "If it was an accident, all elevators would have stopped, not just the one. So… something is jamming the signal from the elevator to the control panel, but in order for me to figure out _what_ , I would need to have eyes on the lift. Each elevator should have an individual panel for maintenance, opened by a specific key. That way, if maintenance is being done, the engineer should have the ability to override the controls, enabling him or her to work on the lift without disabling the other elevators. That would be one way to temporarily jam the frequency…."

Walter nodded and turned towards the female employee holding a flashlight for him. "When an engineer is working on an elevator, is there a way to override the temporary signal block in case of an emergency?"

The employee shrugged as another voice sounded from around the corner. "If there was an emergency, then management would shut off all elevators, including the one being worked on." The engineer who tried to keep Walter from doing his job earlier, stepped out from behind the shadows and approached the control panel. "That red switch," he pointed, "when used with a key from management, will override all blocked frequencies and shut off the elevator service for all elevators. As you can see," he frowned at Walter, "all elevators have been manually shut down until my engineers check the other ones for issues."

"Once they are clear, management will turn them back on again," the engineer said, folding his arms across his chest.

"And what of the people trapped in the elevator? Are you guys just going to leave them there?!" Walter inhaled a deep breath and clenched his fists. "Checking the other elevators can wait; these people are the ones who need our help right now."

"And we realize that," the engineer frowned. "But, in order for us to help them, we must determine the cause of the malfunction. Trust me, we're doing all we can with the resources we have."

Walter stepped forward as if to intimidate the man, and snapped. "Well, that's not good enough!" Before he could insult the man any more, he marched off towards the stairs.

"Walt… I can practically smell your very bad plan from here…," Toby exclaimed through his phone, but Walter ignored him, determined to climb as many steps as he needed until he was on the floor above the elevator. "Please don't keep us in the dark," the shrink added as an afterthought.

Walter looked above him and sighed as he noted how many flights of stairs he would have to climb. "Sly?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Can you hack into the elevator system of this building and tell me which level Paige and Ralph are stuck on?"

"Give me one sec…."

…

…

"Got it! It looks like th—"

"Don't answer that, Sly," Toby suddenly said, and Walter frowned, losing his impatience very rapidly. "A better question: why do you want to know where the lift is?"

Walter sighed and rubbed his temples. "Happy needs eyes inside the elevator, and I intend to give it to her."

"Suicidal genius say what?"

"You heard me," Walter grumbled as he continued climbing the stairs. "The levels, Sly?"

"Sylvester isn't going to answer that," Toby replied for him. "Walt. Think this through. If you find a way into that elevator, you're going to risk your life, too. Do you really want to do that, not knowing the cause and all?"

"If it means saving Paige and Ralph, I don't care about the consequences."

"Call Ralph, first, kid." Cabe finally pitched with a soft voice. "Ralph can at least tell you if there even _is_ a panel inside before you attempt to kill yourself again."

"It wouldn't help if he doesn't have a key, though." Walter protested, but when he saw the stern look in Cabe's eyes through his phone screen, he sighed, defeated. "Fine… I'll call him. Sly, patch me through."

"Absolut—actually, it seems like they're calling right now."

…

"Let's leave him be for a minute," Toby muttered under his breath, encouraging everyone to leave Sly's desk to give Walter some privacy. As everyone walked towards the center table, Toby turned towards Cabe and added, "That was good thinking, having Walter call Ralph before doing something stupid. Keeping 197 calm and collected is the best thing for him right now – and for Paige and Ralph. If Walt doesn't keep it together, who knows what'll happen over there."

"I know Walter…. It's like that train fiasco all over again. He's going to do whatever he can to get into that elevator no matter what. We can't stop him, but… at least calling Ralph would help him clear his head a little before doing something utterly and completely stupid. If Paige ends up slapping him again, I wouldn't blame her."

"You can say that again," Toby nodded.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

"I'm going to call Toby," Ralph said suddenly, and Paige gave him a small nod as if he was asking for her permission. He wasn't, though. If there was anyone who knew how to help his mother, it was the behaviorist. He unlocked his mother's phone and connected it to Skype, and as soon as there was a connection, he called Sylvester.

The call was answered almost immediately, and Sly was squinting his eyes to see them through the dim light. "Walter's on standby; I'm going to patch you through."

"I actually need to speak to Toby first," Ralph replied swiftly, stopping Sylvester from pressing any buttons. "Please, Sylvester. It's important."

Sylvester nodded and then said, "Okay. Toby's actually here so… I'll just call him over here for you."

"Thanks."

"Do you… Do you still want to talk to Walter?"

"Yes."

"Now?"

"After Toby," was Ralph's only response, and the human calculator nodded again.

"Okay, give me a second here." Sylvester turned away from his desk and shouted Toby's name, and in seconds, the shrink was standing next to Sylvester.

"Yyyyyessssss?"

"We need your help," Ralph said quietly. "Mom… she… she needs your help."

Toby was suddenly serious. "What's wrong, Ralphy-boy?"

"Mom's injured…. Her shoulder… It's bleeding, and she's been going in and out of consciousness for the last fifteen minutes. I keep trying to get her to stay awake, but she continues closing her eyes…. I don't know… I don't know how long she'll last before going completely under."

"Have you examined the cut?"

"Yes."

"How did it happen?"

"I… I'm not sure, but I think she hit the glass mirror when the elevator stopped suddenly. We were all jerked around in different directions, and there's a radial fracture in the mirror with a large shard missing…. I think… I think it might be embedded into her back."

"Shit…," was Toby's initial response. "Is it deep?"

"I… I don't know."

"How much blood is there?"

"A lot…," Ralph's quiet voice quivered. "Th-There's a lot of blood, Toby."

"Is she awake now?"

Ralph shook his mother forcefully, and her eyes popped open before they started falling again. "Sort of… She's in and out."

"Keep pressure on the wound for as long as you can. I'm going to have Sly patch you through to Walter…. He might be the only one who can help her stay awake. Okay?"

Ralph nodded slowly. "O-Okay." And after a few minutes of silence, he heard Walter's voice echoing from his mother's phone.

"Paige? Ralph?"

"Walter!" Ralph exclaimed and nudged his mother awake.

Her eyes slowly opened, and she smiled weakly, uttering the name, "Walter…."

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

I had so much fun writing this installment. :)

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have mentioned this in two of my other fics, but I will be taking a (hopefully) brief hiatus because my computer needs to have some work done on it. It's an old heap of junk, but I can't afford nice things right now so I have to work with what I've got, unfortunately. So… that means I won't be updating for at least a week or two depending on whether or not they can fix my computer. Wish me luck!

Anyway, please let me know what you think! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**WriterFreak001:**

I've been trying, for the past week, to work on the next chapter of _The Scorpion_ , but I am getting nowhere with it. :( I hope to have it written sometime next week, but I am going to take a brief break from writing that chapter and focus on another WIP.

* * *

" _Sometimes infinities are bigger than other infinities." – John Green,_ _The Fault in Our Stars_

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

Paige, no matter how horrible she was feeling, was relieved to hear Walter's voice calling out her name after she had weakly whispered his. She knew that if anybody was capable of figuring out what was going on with the elevator, it was Walter, and she also knew he would not stop trying until everyone was safe. Consequences be damned.

As Ralph placed her phone in her hands, she rubbed her thumb over the bright screen, imagining Walter's face instead of Sylvester's. Slowly, she inhaled a painful breath and released it, daring herself not to tip her head back or close her eyes for any reason. She absolutely could not afford to lose consciousness right now.

She overheard Toby's voice in the background, but she couldn't make out what he was saying but determined he wasn't speaking to her so she softly called Walter's name again, wanting to hear his voice one more time in case…

"Paige," Walter spoke abruptly, snapping what little attention she had to the phone. "Paige," he muttered again, and she flashed a small smile, always in love with the way he spoke her name. Ralph helped her sit up a little bit more, and she heard him speak again. "I know it's hard right now, and I know you're in a lot of pain – believe me, I've been there – but you need to stay awake and be strong for Ralph… and," he paused, his voice somewhat shaking, "a-and me." He waited a beat and then added, "Can you do that for me? For Ralph?"

Paige swallowed thickly and nodded slowly, exhaling a quiet response. "I'll try."

"Good," Walter answered swiftly before uttering her son's name. "Ralph."

"Yes?"

"Which floor is the elevator on?"

"The indicator said eight before the power went out, but I think we were closer to floor nine when we stopped," Ralph replied quietly as he continued pinning the jacket to Paige's back shoulder. "Is there anything I can do in the elevator to increase our chances?"

"Don't be a mini Walter," Toby said almost instantly, causing Paige to giggle a little. "Don't try to climb out of the elevator. It's too dangerous, and we don't know why the elevator is stuck in the first place. Best thing you can do, Ralphy-boy, is help your mom stay awake."

"Yes," Walter agreed, "Help Paige…, and… and anybody else who needs it."

"Speaking of which," Toby interjected, "can you describe the other injuries, Ralphy?"

Paige saw Ralph nod his head from the corner of her eye, and he gripped her hand suddenly, squeezing it tightly. "A man is unconscious, his daughter seems fine, a pregnant lady is a little sore, but also seems fine, and a mean lady –"

"Ralph," Paige gave her son a weak glare. She might have been feeble and in pain, but she wasn't going to let her son get away with poor manners on her watch. "Be nice."

Ralph cleared his throat and muttered an apology before continuing. "A _lady_ has a busted eyebrow."

"The pregnant woman," Toby hummed, "how far along is she?"

"She's nearing her due date. I think she said it's in a few days."

"Ohhhh crap." Toby grumbled loudly.

"What! What's 'Ohhh crap?!'" Sylvester exclaimed, prompting Toby to explain.

Ralph already suspected and gulped, hoping, for perhaps the first time in his life, he was wrong.

"If this woman is days before her due date, she could very well go into labor in any moment from added stress. It's best to keep her as calm as possible," Toby replied, confirming Ralph's deduction. The young boy gulped again. He was practically the only reliable person in the elevator – save for his mom, of course – and he had no idea how to deliver a baby if prompted.

This was bad. Very bad.

"Yo!" Emily called out from the other side of the elevator, "Don't talk about me as though I was chopped liver. I can _hear_ you guys, you know?"

"Sorry, ma'am." Ralph tried to be as polite as possible. "My friend is a doctor, and he is helping me assess any injuries. We don't mean to speak about you – or anyone else – behind your back or as though you're not here…. W-We're just trying to figure all of this out."

" _What_ can a little kid like _you_ do," the other woman spat, prompting Paige to, once again, try to defend her son, but Toby beat her to the chase.

"Listen here, lady! I don't know what stick you've got shoved up your ass, but Ralphy-boy here happens to be the fourth smartest person alive, topping my good friend, Walter O'Brien – who just so happens to have an IQ of 197 – the former fourth, now fifth, smartest person alive. Show some respect! Ralphy and 197 and the rest of us top notch nerds may be the only people on the planet capable of saving you guys before the elevator goes kerplat!"

Ralph couldn't help but smile a little, and Paige, whose eyes started to droop again, uttered a weak thank you. Ralph shook her lightly, and she jerked awake as the woman blinked swiftly and snapped her head away from them.

"Miss Paige?"

Both Paige and Ralph turned towards Kelly, who had been sitting quietly for the past fifteen minutes as though she had fallen asleep. Ralph shined the phone light on her, and she winced a little, but he frowned. She did not look well at all.

"What is it," Paige inhaled a sharp breath, "Kelly?"

"My…," she took in a shallow breath and exhaled deeply, "my chest hurts."

"How does it hurt, Kelly?" Ralph inquired, leaning towards her to feel her head. She was clammy, and he was now noticing how deeply she was breathing.

"It hurts like it does before Mommy gives me my medicine," Kelly muttered quietly as she patted her throat gently. "Miss Paige told me to be strong for my mommy and my daddy, and I tried, but I'm scared," her hoarse breathing escalated, and she started crying. "I want my mommy! Mommy knows how to make the pain go away."

"Ralph," Toby's stern voice suddenly filled the room. "You need to calm her down. She's having an asthma attack, and if her mother has her inhaler and isn't on the elevator, then she needs to be calm."

"How?!"

…

…

"Toby?" Ralph snapped his attention to his mother's phone and gulped loudly.

The phone was dead, and darkness consumed the elevator again.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

"Ralph? Ralphy-boy?" Toby tapped on the TV monitor, but nothing. "DAMMIT!"

"Paige's phone must have died." Sylvester stated, his voice laced with panic. "What are we going to do now? We don't have a clue what's going on in there!"

"Give me about a minute," Walter said instantly before he grunted a little. "I'm almost there."

"Crazy genius says what?!" Toby's exclaim caused Sly to jump. "Don't tell me you're in the elevator shaft. _Please_ don't tell me you're in the elevator shaft."

"I'm in the elevator shaft, Toby," Walter said before another grunt. "Paige is hurt, and we are nowhere closer trying to figure out what's going on in there. We need eyes inside the lift, now more than ever, and while Ralph was talking to you, I took liberty to run up the stairs towards the ninth floor, and now I'm," Walter paused suddenly, "okay… the elevator's closer to the seventh, _not_ the eighth. This is…," they heard another grumble, "this is _probably_ the craziest thing I've ever done."

"I beg to disagree," Sylvester rose his hand, and then covered his mouth as though he was about to barf.

"Me too."

Me three."

"Ditto."

" _Almost there_." Walter mumbled more to himself then to everyone else. "Just… six more feet to go."

"How are you climbing down exactly?" Cabe finally spoke as everyone huddled around the TV monitor again.

"There's a ladder," Walter replied quickly. "A ridiculously narrow ladder, but a ladder nonetheless."

"And are you wearing a harness?" Toby probed, even though he already knew the answer.

"Didn't have time to find one," was Walter's swift reply.

"You _are_ aware that if you slip or miss your step, you'll most likely die before saving everybody, yes?" Toby couldn't help himself for some reason.

"Yes, I am aware, Toby, now stop distracting me!"

Toby rose his hands in defense as they heard a small clanking sound.

Sylvester gulped. "What was that?!"

"It sounded like it was coming from below the elevator… like _really_ below."

"Walter is not one who uses the term 'really' to describe a specific distance. Interesting," Toby noted under his breath, earning a glare from the team.

"I'm a little stressed, Toby. Cut me some slack," Walter grumbled as they heard another thud. "I'm on top of the lift and am going in."

…

The genius never moved so fast.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:** I hope this chapter wasn't too hard to follow. It was a bit rushed, but I am satisfied with it. Sorry for the delay, again. I've been having a hard time these past few weeks so I publish when I can.

Thanks for understanding.

Let me know what you think. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**WriterFreak001:**

LONG TIME! Since _Worth_ is coming to a close, I thought I would update a chapter from one of my WIPs! As soon as _Worth_ is finished, I PROMISE I will resume _Poaching_ and _The Scorpion_ , because those are long overdue as well. I think I have my writing mojo back (watching the season 3 promo helped significantly) so look out readers! :)

To those of you who are medically inclined, I apologize for anything in this chapter (and in future chapters) that may be incorrect due to my very limited knowledge of practicing medicine.

PS. I applied for a third job so if I get said third job, I will be one busy lady.

* * *

" _In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can." – Nikos Kazantzakis_

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

Ralph flared his nose and pursed his lips as he crawled towards Kelly, hoping his theory would work. Whenever he was stressed as a child and would start to hyperventilate, his mom would always sing to him. Soothing voice aside, he would concentrate on the song itself while synchronizing his breathing with the downbeat until he was calm again. He looked down at the white pair of earphones in his hand as he parked his knees in front of her. Perhaps – no – _hopefully_ the same concept would apply to Kelly.

"Here," Ralph muttered as he strung the buds around Kelly's neck, gently pushing them into her ears. He hooked them to his iPod and scrolled through his music collection until he found his mom's demo she had made many years ago – one she didn't know he had found. "Just close your eyes, hold your father's hand and listen to this music on loop. It'll help. I promise."

Kelly nodded and sniffed as she reached for her father's hand before closing her eyes. Ralph made sure the volume was doable for her and then he played the music before placing the iPod into her other hand. He waited a beat and focused on her breathing pattern as it began to return to normal. Good. One problem solved. Several more to go.

As he climbed back over to where his mom was, he frowned and shook her gently. Her eyes opened slowly for a second before closing again. "Mom!" Ralph shook her harder. "Stay awake!"

"I am awake," she protested weakly. Ralph opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden thud from above stopped him. Within seconds, the small door on the ceiling shifted open, and someone poked his head through the opening.

"Thank heavens," the mean lady dramatized, "I thought I was going to die from the heat!"

"Ralph!" the visitor exclaimed, and the young genius smiled, recognizing that voice instantly. "Ralph, take this!"

Ralph rose to his feet and lined himself up with the door as his mentor shrugged his arm through the aperture, preparing to drop his phone into the boy's hands. Ralph ran the calculations through his mind and gave Walter a nod. "Ready." Without hesitating, the lit phone was dropped, landing directly into Ralph's palms. He immediately shined the flashlight towards Walter and grinned. "Got it!"

"Great!" Walter gave Ralph a quick thumb's up. "Now, I'm going to drop inside and give the team an update on our situation. I just need you to make sure nothing's in my way."

"Okay," Ralph nodded, taking a few steps back. "Everyone else is against the walls of the elevator. You're clear to enter."

Not even a few seconds later, Walter's feet slipped down into the elevator, and he slowly descended inside, using his upper body strength to control his descent. With arms fully straightened, he released his grip and dropped down another two feet, his shirttail flying upwards as he fell.

Without warning, Ralph ran up to him and gave him an unexpected hug, taking the older genius back by surprise. Walter briefly reciprocated the embrace before placing his palms on the boy's shoulder's and pulling him back slightly. "Ralph," Walter smiled gently, "I'm proud of you for handling everything so well." The man's smile transformed into worry. "Where's your mother?"

Ralph shined the light towards Paige, and before anything was said, Walter was by her side at an instant. "Her shoulder is injured; I don't know how bad though. She's losing blood, and I've tried to keep her awake," Ralph swallowed thickly and clenched his left fist, "but she keeps falling asleep, and I don't know what else to do now." His resolve was beginning to crumble. "Walter," his voice cracked, "is my mom going to be okay?"

Walter inhaled a deep breath and released it through his nostrils as he gently touched Paige's cheek with the back of his fingers. Her skin was cold and clammy, but the older genius refused to show his concern to his prodigy. Walter tried shaking her gently while calling out her name, but nothing happened. He then cupped her face with his warm palms and moved in closer, saying her name a little louder. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she weakly breathed out his name with a small smile touching her lips.

"Oh, thank God," Walter mumbled under his breath as his lips found her forehead. His left hand instinctively laced with her right, and all he could do for a moment was gaze deeply into her eyes, grateful he hadn't lost her yet.

" _As touching as this moment seems to be between the two of you lovebirds,"_ Toby suddenly interjected into Walter's comm device, _"I need you to tell me_ _ **exactly**_ _what's going on with Paige in order for me to assist you, 197."_ The shrink waited a beat before asking, _"Ask her where it hurts. If she can feel pain, that's a good sign._ "

Walter's right thumb stroked the soft skin of her cheek to keep her from closing her eyes, and he whispered, "How are you feeling?"

"Tired…, sore… weak…, but happy," she punctuated between short breaths.

"Happy?" Walter wasn't expecting that answer.

Paige nodded slightly and looked down at their conjoined hands before muttering, "You're here," her lips curved a little more as her eyes started to close.

"Paige," Walter's voice was suddenly loud and frantic, "Don't close your eyes. Tell me," he squeezed her hand, "where does it hurt?"

Paige shifted slightly and exhaled, uttering, "my shoulder."

"Toby," Walter swallowed thickly, his voice incredibly low. "What do I need to do?"

" _You need to get Paige on her stomach and remove any large shards of glass still embedded in her back. Then, take off your shirt and press it as hard as you can against her shoulder wound to staunch as much of the bleeding as possible. It's important she stays warm, too, so utilize your body heat as much as possible. Don't leave her side no matter what happens, okay 197?"_ Toby then added, " _Sylvester has called the paramedics so if they're not already at the hotel, they should be on their way. Just make sure Paige doesn't go to sleep. It's important she stays awake so you need to talk to her and keep talking to her and ignore everything else going on in the elevator. Leave the rest to Ralph, okay?"_

Walter nodded as he did exactly as Toby advised. "Okay." After he had helped her onto her stomach, Walter first took off his jacket and wadded it up before slipping it underneath Paige's chin to cushion her face and arms from being pinned against the cold elevator floor, and then he pressed his white undershirt as hard as he could against the woman's wound. Then he looked at Ralph who was shaking. "We're going to get through this, okay?"

"W-Will she be okay?" Ralph's voice cracked as he approached his mentor and his mother.

"Yes," Walter promised, giving the young genius a soft, encouraging smile. "She will be."

"H-How do you know?" Ralph inhaled deeply as tears brimmed his eyes.

"Because," Walter muttered with confidence, "she has two –" Toby, Happy and Sylvester all cleared their throats in the background – "excuse me, _five_ of the smartest people in the world helping her."

"Scorpion never fails," Ralph said quietly.

"That's right, buddy." Walter nodded, smiling gently. "Scorpion never fails." The older genius waited a beat. "Ralph?"

"Yeah?"

"You've done great so far. I'm very proud of you." Walter grinned widely, and then the boy beamed.

"Thanks."

…

For a while, all Walter and Ralph did was tend to Paige's needs. As Walter continued stemming the blood flow, Ralph did his best to communicate with his mom and keep her talking. He asked her to tell Walter the stories he had once heard as a young toddler, and Paige did her best to stay awake and share them. Occasionally, Ralph had to slightly pinch her or shine the phone light in her eyes to wake her up, but for the most part, with Walter being next to her (Ralph's most logical conclusion), Paige managed to keep herself from completely falling asleep.

However, Toby knew this familial bubble between Walter and the Dineens couldn't last for long. The elevator needed to be fixed as soon as possible; otherwise, they were nothing more than sitting ducks.

" _Walter,"_ Toby muttered, breaking the older genius from his trance, _"I hate to break up this family moment between the three of you, but the main issue at hand still remains. Either you or Ralph_ _ **must**_ _check the internal control panel and see if there's something blocking the signal between the elevator and the master control panel down below."_

"I know, but I can't leave Paige," Walter muttered quietly as Ralph stopped talking and glanced at his mentor.

" _You're right. You can't. You stay where you are because you're stronger than Ralph; you're capable of applying more pressure to her wound than he can. I'll continue to coach you in helping Paige until the paramedics are able to take over. Happy's able to help Ralph with the panel."_

Walter inhaled and exhaled through his nostrils before speaking to his prodigy. "Toby thinks it's best you start examining the internal control panel, Ralph. I can't leave your mother's side."

"But," Ralph glanced at Paige as she struggled to keep her eyes open, "I don't know what to look for."

"Happy will assist you. Take my phone and Skype her so she can have eyes on the panel. Your mother and I will be fine in the dark." Walter paused before adding, "I have faith in you, Ralph." He grinned as Paige weakly reached for her son's knee and added, "We all do."

Ralph flared his nostrils and nodded. "Right, but… I don't feel comfortable leaving both of you in the dark."

" _Who said anything about Waige being in the dark?"_ Toby's voice suddenly echoed from above as Birdroni submerged into the elevator from the open shaft. _"May I introduce Birdroni 4.0! Not only is this beautiful drone equipped with wings, a camera, and an LED light, but this coveted bird-wannabe now has a voice!"_ A bag then dropped next to Walter. _"And she can carry and poop things too!"_

"When did…," Walter cocked an eyebrow before glancing at Ralph. The boy shrugged and was just as confused as he was.

" _Neither one of us really liked the idea of the three of you going off somewhere without some sort of reinforcement so we put our heads together and decided to prep you with anything you might need in our absence. I sent a suture kit if needed, which it_ _ **is**_ _needed so kudos to me. Hap made the necessary modifications to Birdroni so that the frequent flyer could carry heavier equipment – i.e. my suture kit, and Sylvester sent his undying love for all three of you as he parted with his beloved Birdroni for what may be the very last time."_

" _Don't say that!"_ Sylvester hollered in the background as Walter processed all of that information.

" _Now that my helping hand has arrived,"_ Toby continued, _"I'm going to get a better look at Paige's injury and determine if she needs basic or extensive surgery."_

"And if it's extensive?" Walter pursed his lips, waiting for the shrink's reply.

" _If it's extensive, you just keep doing what you're doing until this craziness is over,"_ Toby replied.

"And if it's basic?"

" _Then you're going to be Dr. Wally O'Brien for a day."_

Walter inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Fantastic."

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

I enjoyed writing parts of this chapter. :)

Let me know if something seems oddly placed because I wrote this chapter out of order due to the craziness that is sometimes my writing process.

Please read and thoroughly review! Reviewers make me smile!


	6. Chapter 6

**WriterFreak001:**

I AM SO SORRY FOR DELAYING THIS STORY FOR SO LONG! Life has been super hectic with working three jobs, but I've rearranged my schedule a bit so HOPEFULLY it'll allow me more time to write!

Again, I am not a medical expert, and I try my best to research as much as possible, but if something seems off, please, by all means, tell me, and I will do my absolute best to correct it. :) (If you have to, please suspend your disbelief, lmao).

* * *

"Don't trust anyone because even the devil was once an angel _." – Anonymous_

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

"I'm sorry," Walter mumbled into Paige's ear before hearing a quiet, coherent response from her, giving him permission to cut her shirt open in order for Toby to have a better look at her wound. Carefully, the first thing he did was remove his wadded shirt from her wound, wincing when he felt and heard her cringe in response. "Sorry," he apologized again, hating the fact that he was causing her discomfort.

He then reached for a pair of medical gloves, slipped them over his hands and grabbed one of the surgical scissors in the kit, the largest one of the three, before starting to shred her beautiful, red-stained blouse down the center of her back, cursing inwardly when he accidentally snipped through the band of her white, lacy bra in the process. Again, he apologized, and she, quietly, forgave him. Using one of the forceps to peel her shirt and bra away from her wound, he moved a little bit out of the way for Toby to assess the injury.

" _First of all, she needs to be elevated more… Help her sit up as best as you can and stabilize her from behind, since you will need access to her back shoulder. Keeping her elevated will not only help with limiting blood flow to the injury, but it'll also help her stay awake,"_ Toby noted, his voice laced with concern for his friend.

Walter did as he was instructed, and moved the suture kit closer to him before carefully helping her into a sitting position. He leaned her slightly forward as he scooted towards her and wrapped his legs around her backside to keep her steady.

"Walter," she whimpered lowly, her weak voice stopping him from moving. Her needs came first.

"What is it?"

"My shirt… m-my, m-my," she started to cry out, clearly embarrassed, "they're falling."

"Oh! Um," Walter stretched out his arm and grabbed his jacket before draping it over her arms as best as he could. She moved slowly and hugged it to her chest before sniffing and thanking him.

He didn't know why, but something compelled him to lean forward and kiss the back of her neck, reassuring her she was going to be okay. She _had_ to be. He refused to accept any other outcome.

" _Focus, 197. Focus."_ Toby remarked, snapping his fingers over the speaker. _"Address wound now, romance wife later."_

"Toby!" Walter snapped as he heard the shrink shriek before crying out, _"DAMMIT WOMAN! I'M TRYING TO SAVE A LIFE HERE!"_

" _THEN STOP GIVING O'BRIEN GRIEF AND SAVE HER, DAMMIT! YOU'RE COMMENTARY ISN'T HELPING!"_ Happy's loud reply echoed throughout the elevator, and Walter could have heard the shrewd woman from earlier say, "And _these_ are the people we're banking on to save our lives?"

Deciding to ignore the woman's comment, Walter shouted Toby's name again, immediately grabbing the shrink's attention. "In case you don't know, time isn't exactly on our side at the current moment."

" _Right,"_ Toby snapped back into doctor mode and moved Birdronie closer to inspect Paige's wound. He hummed silently before eventually saying, "It's hard to tell how deep the wound is with the blood staining her back. It does look like the blood has clotted for the most part, though. Now, it's important to clean it, Walter."

Walter nodded, ready to do whatever was necessary to save the love of his life.

"In the kit," the shrink continued, "there should be at least three – maybe four or five – large squirt bottles of water and sterile cloths in there. Squeeze the bottle as hard as you can – it has a tiny nozzle, so it'll take a lot of power to create a decent flow – over the wound to flush the grime and blood away for five to ten minutes. Two bottles should be enough, but if you need more, use them. After five or so minutes have passed, there should also be an Ivory soap bar in the kit too. Soak up the cloth and lather it with the soap as much as you can before gently scrubbing her wound. Just so you know, it may cause Paige some discomfort, but that's normal so don't stop disinfecting the injury. It's also possible bleeding may start again, but it's important to clean the wound to avoid infection. Capish?"

Walter, absorbing every detail, nodded. "Copy that." Inhaling a deep breath, he began to get to work, hoping Paige would be okay afterwards. She just had to be okay.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

"I managed to get into the control panel on the elevator," Ralph replied to Happy as he held Walter's in front of the lift's command center, shining the flashlight onto the tiny switches and circuits inside.

Ralph slowly panned the phone left to right so Happy could have eyes on the electrical brain. To herself, she hummed monotonously and then said quickly, _"Ralph, I'm having technical difficulties on my end trying to receive your Skype call."_

Ralph frowned. Scorpion never had technical difficulties. "I'll give the phone back to Walter and see if he can repair the connection."

" _Do that_." Happy ordered in a clipped voice. Swiftly, Ralph climbed over the people and approached Walter.

"What is it, buddy?" The genius flashed the best smile he could as he continued to clean Paige's wound.

"Happy said she's having technical difficulties on her end and would like it if you could call her to tell her how to fix the issue." Ralph replied as stoically as possible, presenting the phone to his mentor.

On the screen, in large, all caps letters, was a text from Happy:

" **DON'T TRUST ANYBODY. SOMEONE ON THE ELEVATOR SABOTAGED THE PANEL. DO NOT FIX IT NO MATTER WHAT."**

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!

And you thought it couldn't get worse!

I know this chapter was short(ish), but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. :) As always, please let me know what you think! :D


	7. Chapter 7

**WriterFreak001:**

As usual, life is busy, but I wanted to write more to this story. It's been a while since I've written anything for this story so I wanted to feed all of your monsters with angst and suspense so prepare yourselves for some heart-thumpin' thriller.

* * *

" _Some say the world will end in fire,_

 _Some say in ice."_

– _Robert Frost_

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

* * *

" _ **DON'T TRUST ANYBODY. SOMEONE ON THE ELEVATOR SABOTAGED THE PANEL. DO NOT FIX IT NO MATTER WHAT."**_

Thirty minutes – no, perhaps an hour, Walter wasn't sure – had passed since Happy's warning, and nothing had been done to correct the issue. They were nothing more than sitting ducks. There was no way in knowing who could be the perpetrator, and Walter wasn't sure he was confident enough in his self-defense training (if he could even call it that) to ward off anyone from harming everybody. It was moments like these he wished he had more time with Cabe when he was younger to learn more self-defense. If he, Paige and Ralph survived through this ordeal, then he would make it his prerogative to resume that training for the sake of protecting the ones he loves.

After Walter had cleaned the gash on Paige's shoulder under the advisement of Toby, he patched her up with a thick layer of gauze and gently helped her lie back down on her stomach, cringing as she winced from touching the cool floor. Quietly, he draped his jacket over her shoulders to keep her from getting chilled and leaned downward to move some of her hair out of her face.

"Because your wound clotted before I cleaned it, Toby doesn't think you've lost too much blood. I've placed a Fingertip Pulse Oximeter on your left index finger to read your pulse, and I've recalibrated it to beep if your pulse rate reaches dangerous levels." Walter paused briefly to see if she would respond, but she only gently smiled as their eyes met, and for a moment, it was as if they were alone.

His fingernails brushed her cheek like feathers, and she inhaled softly as her eyes fluttered. She threaded her cold fingers with his and brought his warm palm to her lips before lightly kissing it.

"Thank you," she whispered, her mouth moving against his hand. "Thank you for saving me… for being here… Thank you."

Walter's thumb daringly brushed over her lips, and he grinned like a damn happy fool. "Always." And as he squeezed her hand gently, she returned his smile as best as she could before her attention was diverted elsewhere.

"Oh no!"

Paige, despite her injury, sprang forward as if she had been healed miraculously and scrambled over to Kelly, the little girl with asthma. Walter was immediately by her side with his jacket in hand before draping it over her shoulders again. Paige mindlessly secured the material around her body as best as she could to cover her bosom before reaching down to check Kelly's vitals.

The last time she checked on her, Kelly had been still listening to Ralph's music and holding her father's hand, but she was limp, her small body cold as ice. Her lips, blue. Paige cupped the little girl's shoulder's and shook them, hoping she would wake. "Kelly? _Kelly?_ Kelly!" The girl didn't move.

Walter had his phone out in seconds and was calling Toby. "Toby, what do we need to do if a young girl, no older than five at best, has suffered from an asthma attack and has reached cyanosis?"

Paige suddenly looked at him with fear and questions in her eyes, but there was no time to explain. He put the phone on speaker as Toby began speaking.

" _That little girl needs medical attention immediately, but there's no way she can receive it in the elevator. There's a paramedic on standby on the main floor of the building you're in. You need to get her out of that elevator now and bring her to the closest level. Cabe,"_ Toby snapped loudly, _"can use his Homeland Security Powers of Persuasion to send the paramedic team up to that floor, but that will take some time since they would need to take the stairs."_

Walter exhaled audibly. "How much time does she have before respiratory failure?"

" _Her last asthma attack must have weakened her lungs, and though she seemed calm, her wheezing might have continued unnoticed. Based on her size and her current state, I'd give her no more than thirty minutes…, but that all depends on how long she's been in that state. How is her pulse?"_

Paige took the oximeter off her finger and placed it on Kelly's; it beeped almost immediately.

" _Yeah, she needs a hospital. Now!"_ Toby exclaimed, his voice so loud, it the others to cover their ears.

Walter hated the idea of leaving Paige and Ralph alone, but he really didn't have a choice. There was no way he was going to let Ralph journey up to the next floor of the building, and Paige was in no condition to help the young girl. Without hesitation, he turned to Paige and took her hands in his. "You and Ralph need to hold down the fort while I'm gone… I'll be back as soon as Kelly is in safe hands."

Paige knew she would be selfish to ask him to stay so she inhaled a deep breath and exhaled a shaky one, causing her to wince a little. She quickly nodded her head and bit her bottom lip, knowing he was the only one capable of helping Kelly.

Without a word, Walter grabbed Paige's cheeks and crushed his lips to hers, hard. The kiss was didn't last for more than a few seconds, but it was passionate enough to stun her as he hopped upward and pulled himself through the opening in the ceiling. Scrambling to pull herself together, she heard Walter call for Ralph. She exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding and watched her son pick up Kelly and hoist her up to Walter. The older genius grabbed Kelly's shoulders and pulled her through the hatch before securing her to his back. She knew he probably shouldn't be carrying Kelly like that as he climbed away, but what choice did he have?

What choice did anybody have?

"Mom," Ralph placed his warm hands on her cold, shaky ones, and smiled. "Walt's gonna be all right. You'll see." His grin grew wider. "He'll be back."

Paige felt her adrenaline flood out of her body in an instant, and she was suddenly dizzy. The elevator began to spin, and she reached out for her son, gripping his arms to stabilize herself. Without saying anything or crying out her name, Ralph gently helped her lie down while making sure Walter's jacket didn't fall from her body as he did so. "Thank you, Ralphie," she whispered, placing her hand over her son's. She squeezed his palm gently, and he returned her smile. "Just rest, Mom. Walter will be back before you know it."

"I can't rest, sweetie," Paige muttered with a dry mouth, squeezing her son's hand again. "I can't until I know he's with us again."

* * *

Walter seriously had to thank Cabe for helping him beef up his muscles over the last few years, because if it wasn't for the strength in his arms, climbing up the metal ladder towards the next floor – which was further than he remembered – with an extra 60 to 70 pounds, give or take, on his back, he would never have made it.

But he did, and to his luck, the paramedics were waiting for him when he arrived. Before he even climbed up to the ledge, the young girl was immediately taken off his back and placed on a stretcher. He watched them as they strapped an oxygen mask over her small mouth, and his heart ached for her and her parents… _If Ralph had been in her situation…_ Walter dared not to think of the worst and held his breath as the paramedics carried Kelly up the stairs towards the roof where a chopper is on standby.

A hand suddenly dropped on his shoulder, and he tensed. "You did good, kid."

Almost instantly, he turned, surprised to see Cabe, Happy, Toby and Sly standing before his eyes. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Well, when we heard you guys were in trouble, you gonna bet your ass we'd be here as soon as possible, and here we are. Now that I'm here, those dopes downstairs trying to figure out the mechanical problem won't be in control of this rescue anymore. You can count on that. I've got the best of my guys getting ready for extraction." Cabe patted Walter's shoulder gently. "So you just sit here and rest while the big guns take care of everything else."

"Woah there, big guy," Toby was the first to respond, his body blocking the path to the elevator shaft. "Your guys are going nowhere. They can't yet… not until we identify the perpetrator… who, by the way, just so happens to be down in that elevator with everyone else. Everyone inside is a hostage even if they don't know it, and the perp could act out if we provoke him or her just right. Our best bet, for now, is to send Walter back down there with some blankets and extra oxygen."

Walter shook his head and frowned. "Climbing up with a girl on my back was hard enough. I can't climb back down carrying all of those things."

"Then don't," Happy shrugged, and everyone looked at her. "Go back down on your own and pretend like you don't know anything. Let us worry about the rest."

Walter heaved a sigh. "Okay." He suddenly remembered something. "I'll be right back." Before anyone could ask, Walter sprinted in the opposite direction of the elevator towards the stairs, leaving imaginary dust in his wake.

Toby hummed to himself as he stared at the ground.

"What is it, Doc?"

"Now that I think about it, hmmm," he crossed his arms, "the perp being inside the elevator makes no sense… if he or she is stuck like everyone else, why bother? And if he or she is in there, then why hasn't he or she made him or herself known? Most perpetrators reveal themselves by now because they have certain demands. So why has he or she been silent this whole time…?" His eyes popped open. "HOLY SMOKES!"

"What?!" Sylvester gulped, clenching at the hem of his sweater.

"The elevator is just a distraction!" Toby exclaimed, his eyes wide as saucers. "The malfunction was probably preset or something… to throw people off." He turned towards Happy. "Is that even possible?"

"If someone knows what they're doing, then yeah. There are hundreds of ways to stop an elevator, and whoever did this one, put a lot of thought into it to attack only one elevator instead of all of them. What I saw in the interior panel could have easily been a decoy. I only had a few seconds to look at it so I could have missed something." Happy paused when everyone blinked. "What? Nobody's perfect, you jackasses."

"And if the interior panel was simply a decoy," Sylvester sighed, "then we're back to square one…."

"Not necessarily," Toby shook his head. "There's only a handful of people who can mess with elevator wires and actually know what they're doing… and if this crazy son of a bitch is anything like us, he would be close by, marveling at his work whenever his ultimate goal is achieved."

"FUCK!" Happy exclaimed, immediately scrambling to find her cellphone. She opened Skype and called Walter's account, grateful Ralph answered instead of her boss. "Ralph, no time to explain. I need you to show me the panel again."

" _But –"_

"Never mind what I said earlier. We're having second thoughts about that; just show me the panel again." Happy held her breath as Ralph climbed over the others to reach the panel. He opened it and shined the light over the wires and gears. She spotted something behind the wires and inwardly cursed before thanking Ralph. She didn't wait for his response before ending the call. "This is far worse than we could have ever imagined."

"What do you mean?" Walter's voice was the first to be heard, and everyone looked at him as had Paige's soft white robe draped over his arm. His eyes were laced with worry as Happy opened her mouth while searching for an answer.

"Spit it out!" Walter exclaimed, impatiently.

"I failed to see it before, but Ralph showed me the panel again," Happy pressed her lips together, hard. "The messed-up wires served as a decoy to distract anyone from seeing what's behind them…"

"And what's behind them?" Cabe was now getting impatient.

There was no easy way of saying this so she might as well answer.

"Walter…," Happy gulped. "The wires of the elevator… they're… they're hardwired into a bomb."

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

I'm sure you had to stretch your belief a little bit, but I hope it wasn't too much.

Please let me know what you think! I'm quite proud of this chapter.

Please let me know if there are any errors I might have missed when I was proofreading. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**WriterFreak001:**

Less than a month away! :D

* * *

" _Altruism is innate, but it's not instinctual. Everybody's wired for it, but a switch has to be flipped."_ _– David Rakoff_

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

* * *

" _ **Walter…," Happy gulped. "The wires of the elevator… they're… they're hardwired into bomb."**_

Walter was as careful as ever descending back down the shaft, not wanting to do anything to trigger the bomb. There were only a few options left, and he hated every single one of them. Cabe had called the Bomb Squad to the hotel, but there's no telling when they'll show up or if they'll even make it on time.

Walter stopped descending the ladder and closed his eyes to compose himself. At a time like this, focus was absolute key. Focusing on the task at hand was the only way everyone in the elevator would survive. This was not something he could afford to fail; his favorite two people counted on him too much.

Walter exhaled deeply and forced his eyes open before finishing his descent. He carefully stepped onto the top of the elevator and slipped inside the hatch. Gently, he landed on the floor of the lift, and Ralph immediately smiled before nudging his mother awake.

Paige's eyes slowly opened as he knelt beside her, and her hands were cupping his warm cheeks in seconds before she greeted him with a quick, relieving kiss. "I'm so glad you're back," she whispered with teary eyes. "I was afraid… afraid you'd…"

Walter shushed her with his index finger, stopping her from talking further. He smiled gently and muttered, "The important thing is that I'm here, and I'm not leaving."

Walter had brought a small sack of essentials with him and pulled out a blue button-up shirt of his. "Here," he handed it to Paige as his cheeks flared deeply, "It's a little big, but it should keep you covered."

"Thank you, Walter." Blushing, Paige graciously took the shirt, and pushed herself upward to cover her breasts as Walter's bloodied jacket fell from her shoulders. She slowly turned around and worked the buttons open. Turning her head slightly towards Walter, she blushed even more. "Um… I need help. I can't move my shoulder very well."

"Right," Walter coughed as he moved towards her. He parked himself behind her with his knees lightly touching her backside. He wrapped his arms carefully around her and lifted the shirt from her hands. As he moved his arms back towards himself, he accidentally graced her left breast with his thumb. "Sorry," he whispered lowly, his warm breath tickling the back of her neck. Fumbling to open the shirt completely, he then slid one of her arms into the arm sleeve and then did the other before bringing the shirt to her shoulders to drape around her. Paige touched her fingers to Walter's, quietly letting him know she could take it from there. The genius then awkwardly withdrew himself from her as she finished buttoning the shirt.

"So," Ralph caught the older genius's attention to diffuse the awkwardness between his mom and Walter, "what are our options?"

Walter offered the boy a small grin and reached over to ruffle his hair. Always eager to help and find solutions. Yes, this amazing, brilliant child would go far and beyond any member of Team Scorpion. He was sure of it. "First thing's first," Walter patted Ralph's shoulder as Paige turned back around, "we have to get everyone out of here."

"H-How?" Ralph swallowed, unsure of Walter's intentions. He's seen that tight, smiling face before… back when Walter lied to him about the process of decoupling trains. Ralph suddenly felt sick. His friend… his father-figure… he was going to do it again… he was going to sacrifice himself all over again… and this time, there were no guarantees of survival. Ralph inhaled a deep breath and tried to stay calm as he waited for Walter's response.

"We are about twenty feet away from the ninth level. Cabe, Toby and Happy are working on a solution as we speak." Walter could tell Ralph was thinking deeply, but he dismissed it and turned to Paige. "Whatever idea they come up with, you will be the first to ascend because of your injuries."

"No," Paige shook her head and squeezed Walter's hand tightly. He frowned at her response. "I'm fine for now. Ralph should be the first to go up. He's a child and has the best chance of survival. He needs to survive."

Walter nodded, agreeing absolutely.

"No," Ralph argued, moving away from his mother. "I'm not nine anymore, Mom. I can stay and help Walter. We need to get the injured people up first. Especially Miss Emily… She's pregnant and is due in a few days. She needs to go up first. Then Kelly's father… then Ms. Snobby Lady." Ralph smirked a little when the middle-aged woman popped an eye open in response to his comment. He had no sympathy for her. None whatsoever. "After her, then you need to go, Mom. You're injured far worse than me. Walter will have to help you out of the elevator so I should go last. It makes the most sense. And, I can keep working on disarming the bomb."

"Absolutely not!" Both Walter and Paige exclaimed louder than necessary. "You're going up before me, and that's final," Paige frowned, laying down the law for her son.

"But –"

"No buts." Paige gave Ralph the Mom Glare, and the boy didn't protest after that.

"Until Toby, Happy, Sly and Cabe come up with a plan," Walter squeezed Paige's hand with his left and cupped Ralph's shoulder with his right, "Help me figure out what sort of bomb we're looking at, would you?" He then turned to Paige. "Is that all right?"

Paige signed, not liking the idea at all. But what other choice did they have? "Okay." She bit her lip as she watched her son lead Walter to the panel. Whatever was going to happen, she prayed she would live to see another day. Her son needed her, and she was eager to see what her new relationship with Walter would be like. They all needed to survive.

Every last one of them.

That was her wish.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

"Are you sure that's the only way we're going to stop the bomb?" Toby asked with big eyes after Happy had explained the game plan with the rest of the team. "It seems too risky, and if I'm correct, there's a big fat chance 197 won't survive."

"Approximately 86% actually," Sylvester chimed in, his face laced with concern. "I don't like those odds at all."

"We all know Walter…. He would sacrifice his life willingly to save Paige and Ralph; he's almost done it before, we always knew he'd end up having to do it again." Happy crossed her arms and frowned. "I wish we had another option, guys. Really, I do, but if we want to prevent the most casualties, then Walter has to stay after everyone leaves. Unless I'm mistaken, the whole elevator floor is a pressure plate. As long as there's at least one person's weight on the ground, there's a chance the bomb won't go off. Walter stays behind and works on the bomb to deactivate it. Otherwise, it'll blow up the moment he hops off of the floor through the hatch. He's dead either way. At least with this way, we have a chance."

Cabe stopped pacing the floor and pursed his lips. "What about a good ole switcheroo? As long as there's weight on the floor of the elevator, then we shouldn't have any problem switching Walter's weight out with a bag that roughly weighs the same… It should work, right?"

Happy pursed her lips. "That's too much of a risk. Even if we did that, it would only give Walter enough time to climb and maybe shoot the lift loose. But if he did that, then the bomb would detonate as it free falls; we'd risk blowing up the entire building."

Cabe, Happy, Sylvester and Toby all sighed at once. All of them are at a loss of what to do until the paramedics return.

"Walter knows what he has to do," Happy was the first to speak. "He knows what he's sacrificing if this plan doesn't work. All we can do is hope it doesn't blow up in our faces in the process." Happy paused as the others looked at her like her ass was on fire. She was definitely not herself today. "Oh, shut up. You know what I mean."

 **~ SCORPION ~**

It had been an hour, at least, since Walter's return, and both he and Ralph were getting restless. They did all they could do at the current moment with the bomb (which was not much), but they weren't any closer to figuring out how to disarm it. Had it been on a timer, then it would have blown up by now. Walter and Ralph are both in agreement with Happy's theory of the floor being the bomb's pressure plate.

After they had decided to take a little break, Ralph went over to the corner near where his mom was resting and decided to analyze the photos of the bomb he had taken with Walter's Surface Pro. Perhaps without the added stress, he might be able to figure something out on his own.

Walter, on the other hand, returned to Paige's side to keep her company and give her as much comfort as he could offer. She was resting with her head on his lap, and he was quietly watching her sleep as he waited to hear from the team. He really hoped they had an alternative plan because the one in motion wasn't one he liked at all. Paige would hate him, and Ralph would probably never look up to him again if he ended up surviving this, but it needed to be done. He was the only one – no – he _had to be_ the only one capable of diffusing the bomb.

Ralph staying behind was not an option – even if he could – with time – figure out how to save everybody. Ralph had to survive and ensure the safety of his mother as well of the survival of Scorpion. Ralph was more than likely the smartest child in the world, and he needed to live. He _had_ to live. For everyone.

Walter popped an eye open to a light shining down into the elevator. Before he knew it, two men in black suits dropped down stealthily. "Mr. O'Brien?" One of them spoke, looking at Walter. "Mr. O'Brien. We are aware of the situation at hand. We can bring up two people at a time. Let us know who you'd like us to lift first."

Walter glanced at Paige, and she nodded slowly as she did her best to sit up again. Walter first pointed to Emily. "Her. She's pregnant, and her child is due at any day. She needs to go up first. The second one," he then pointed to the unconscious man on the floor, "should be him."

"Copy that," the black-suited man nodded before he and his partner went to work, strapping the two people into their harnesses.

As Emily was carefully lifted upward along with the second man, she gave Paige a weak thumb's up. "We might not see each other again, but thanks for all you did, lady. You're one badass woman. Don't let that ever go to waste."

Paige gave Emily a small smile and returned her thumb's up as she was lifted out of the elevator. Seconds later, the man who had spoken to Walter, was being lifted upward with Kelly's unconscious father. "Another team will be down momentarily to carry to more people. Be sure to know who's going next by then."

"Okay," was Walter's reply before he, Paige and Ralph were left alone with the older woman. He turned towards her. "You'll be next so get ready."

"Thank heavens," she rolled her eyes dramatically and pushed herself to her feet before walking towards the center of the elevator. Just as the man had said, two more dropped down, ready to lift the next two. One of them harnessed themselves to the lady, and as they ascended, Walter looked to Ralph.

"You're turn buddy."

"No."

Paige frowned immediately. "Ralph, we already talked about this."

Ralph furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms defiantly. He refused to move. "I'm not going until you," he pointed to Walter, "tell Mom what's really happening here."

"Ralph," Walter muttered the boy's name under his breath harshly and glared at the small kid to button his lid, but the young genius did exactly the opposite.

"Mom," he continued, "Walter neglected to tell you that the elevator floor is a pressure plate. He was going to have us leave him and get to safety while he stayed to try and defuse the bomb. Just like the stupid train, someone has to stay behind." Ralph didn't know why, but he was angry. He didn't want Walter to always call the shots. If the fifth smartest person ever recorded chose to stay behind, then he should too! He had every right to save everyone just as Walter did.

"What is he talking about?!" Paige whipped her head around to Walter, her flaring, teary eyes demanding Walter to answer.

"It's as he says," Walter replied, defeated. "The floor of the elevator serves as a pressure plate for the bomb. At least one person has to stay on top of the plate to keep it from triggering the blast. The plan… the one I didn't mention… involves me staying behind… to keep the bomb from exploding… at least until the Bomb Squad arrives… or until I disable the bomb."

Paige's eyes watered, and Walter hated seeing her so distressed. "I told you," she bit her lip, "I told you never to lie to me like that again."

"I know." Walter felt ashamed, but there was no turning back now. The plan was in motion.

Paige exhaled a shaky breath and visibly calmed herself. She turned to her son. "Ralph. You need to go. The nice man is waiting to take you up to safety. I'm going to stay here until they send someone back down."

Ralph shook his head, but just as he spoke, the man from earlier, the one who had spoken to Walter, dropped down into the elevator. "What's taking so long?! We need to get a move on."

Ralph turned towards the man. "Before you carry me up, I need you to go back up there and bring down 5 suitcases, approximately 30 pounds each." He looked at Walter for confirmation. "If we had 6 suitcases stacked in the middle of the lift, that would compensate for the approximate weight of an average man. We keep those suitcases there and climb up together. The weight of those suitcases should be enough to hold down the plate until the Bomb Squad arrive, yes?"

Walter sighed. "In theory, yes. But there's no guarant—"

Ralph ignored Walter's response and turned towards the other man. "Bring those quickly please. No one will die today." The man simply blinked at him. "It's a hotel," Ralph replied simply, "it shouldn't be too hard to find suitcases..."

"Ralph!" Paige reprimanded her son, but he shrugged as the man sighed heavily. Without another word, the man turned towards his partner and nodded before making the command over his walkie talkie. When his instructions were confirmed, he pursed his lips. "This weird plan of yours better work. We're going topside for now so we can deliver what you've asked."

Walter, Paige and Ralph were then alone.

Paige turned her whole body towards Walter and poked his shoulder. Hard. "I mean it this time, Walter. If you somehow double cross us like you did the last time, I slap you into next month. Got that?!"

Walter gulped. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

She then turned towards Ralph and frowned. "And you. Since when are you rude to adults? I didn't teach you to be snippy with people. I know you're tired, hungry and exhausted, _believe me._ We all are, but you know better than that. If you're rude to another person today, you won't like me very much. Comprende?!"

Ralph exhaled a quiet breath and nodded. "Okay."

For many minutes, the three sat in silence as they waited for the suitcases to arrive. One by one, they were delivered among the team in black, and after Ralph and Walter stacked them dead center in the elevator in two columns of three bags, three of the men in black stayed behind to lift Walter, Paige and Ralph out of the elevator.

Paige was harnessed first and was holding Walter's hand until the last moment before she was carried out of the lift on the suspension cable. Ralph was next, and as Walter was lifted off of the ground, everyone cringed, waiting for an explosion.

Nothing happened.

Everybody down the shaft relaxed visibly.

Ralph glanced up at his mom and then to Walter before exhaling deeply. He hated what he was about to do because he knew it would distress his mother and Walter deeply, but he knew exactly how to diffuse the bomb. He figured it out while studying the images he had taken.

"Mom? Walter?" The boy decided not to waste any more time. "In case this doesn't work, you both are awesome and great," he unbuckled something, "and I'm glad you're both in my life."

Walter was the first to notice. "Ralph! Stop!"

"And if it does," the genius finished unhooking himself from the harness and looked past Walter towards the elevator. It wasn't too far down… yet.

"Ralph, what're you doing!?" Paige was screaming along with Walter, their loud, panicked voices echoing around them. "Put that back on! Put that back on right now, Ralph! RIGHT NOW!"

The fear in Paige's eyes… her screaming his name… it wasn't enough to convince Ralph not to do what he was about to do. Still, hearing her fearful screams didn't make it any easier.

"Don't do this, Ralph! Don't be a hero today!" Walter exclaimed, reaching out towards him, prepared to catch him if needed.

But it was too late. The boy was already falling down and fast into the elevator. Walter couldn't reach him in time. "I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO BEING GROUNDED FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!" was the last thing he enthusiastically shouted before he disappeared into the elevator, closing the shaft door behind him.

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

One more chapter to go!

I hope to have it done before the premiere. :P


	9. Chapter 9

**WriterFreak001:**

We're getting so much closer to the premiere, I can barely hold in my fangirling squeals. XD I just about died watching the sneak peeks, and I so so so so can't wait for the season to start. :D

P.S. I don't know if I ever specified where Walter and Paige started the case, but they're in Chicago. Should have made that clear from the beginning, lol.

* * *

" _Look at that boy over there._ _Think about how important you are to him._ _Think about the team, your friends. How important you are to them._ _Think about… Think about how important you are… to me." – Paige Dineen, 2x07_

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

" _Thanks Carlene. Late last night, the second elevator of Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel in Chicago came to an abrupt stop between the eighth and ninth floors, injuring several people. Luckily, there were no fatalities during the rescue, and we have Team Scorpion from Los Angeles to thank for that. Team Leader Walter O'Brien and a few members of his company came to Chicago the day before last to work on a private case unrelated to the events at the hotel. If it wasn't for the fact that two of the team members were on the elevator at the time of the incident, we have no idea where we would be today._

" _These geniuses were able to put their heads together and come up with a fast solution to bring medical aid to the injured. But that's not all. You see, it was only after they were able to save a young asthmatic girl from almost certain death that Mechanical Prodigy Happy Quinn discovered there was a bomb hidden in the elevator's panel. Determining that the bomb would be activated by pressure if everybody left the elevator, the team used a trick out of the book and made a switcheroo with luggage to compensate for the weight as people were rescued. Just when we think the team would leave the job to the Bomb Squad, Team Scorpion's youngest member, Ralph Dineen, jumped back into the elevator and successfully disabled the bomb._

 _Behind me, we see mother and son reunited along wit—"_

Paige couldn't listen anymore. No mother should go through what she went through, and if she had it her way, she would be grounding Ralph for all eternity and anchor him to his bedroom with a ball and chain. Ralph was right. He was grounded big time. For two months at most. Three if the trauma didn't settle by then. Summer was not going to be pleasant for him. No video games. No computer. No phone. When they return to LA tomorrow, the only place he can go to other than his room would be the garage while she's at work. He would be on constant supervision. If she had to pay for his sitter to babysit her son for the full duration of the summer, then so be it. For the emotional trauma Ralph Dineen had put her in, she was not going to be the good cop this time.

"Mommmm," Ralph was restless, continuously tapping his fingers on the chair next to her hospital bed, "Can I g—"

"No." Paige shook her head. "You're staying right here. With me."

"But mommm, I said I was sorry, and I saved everyone. It was a win, win! Why am I the one being punished?" Ralph should have kept his mouth shut. From a logical standpoint, he didn't understand. He did good. He saved a lot of people. Lots of people. He made the news. People were proud of him and praising him, and his mother was even hugging him to death after Walter brought him back out of the shaft. So to punish him for doing something good seemed irrational. However… he knew going back into that elevator was dangerous, and he knew he made his mom go nuts after he disappeared into the lift, but if disobeying her deemed good results, did it really matter that he was being disobedient?

Technically, he did tell his mom he expected to be grounded as he flew down into the elevator, but he didn't actually think she would go through with it once he was successful. It was stupid. He did good. He did _really_ good.

Paige had to blink back her tears and count to ten in order to keep herself from saying something she might regret. Was she proud her son was able to disable a bomb when others couldn't? Yes. Yes, she was. She was very proud. Ecstatic, even! But at what cost? Would she have to go through the same heartache each time her son wanted to save the world? She already goes through it with Walter, and she knows Walter can't help it sometimes, but Ralph is still young. Ralph doesn't have to be the hero all the time like Walter. She wasn't grounding him because he went out of harm's way to save everyone. She was grounding him because he deliberately disobeyed her orders. That behavior – no matter the reason – was unacceptable. She did not teach Ralph to disobey authority. She will need to nip that habit in the bud immediately.

She just wanted her sweet, quiet son back. He used to be such an indoor cat, and yes, he saved a lot of people, and yes, he made her proud, but she wasn't ready for the emotional toll his decision to save everyone impacted her with. She wasn't ready for the fear of losing her boy, her precious, little boy. From now on, if Ralph is to help on any missions, he's to assist from the garage and _only_ the garage. She couldn't afford to lose him. She's already lost so much, and heaven forbid she lose her son too.

"You're staying right here, and that's final." Paige replied with a clipped voice as she exhaled slowly. She leaned back against the elevated bed and winced as her back shoulder smacked against the cold leather.

Ralph immediately rose to his feet. "Are you okay? Should I get the doctor? Are you bleeding again?" He tried to inspect her shoulder from behind, "Did you tear a stitch?"

Paige let out a little laugh and reached forward to grab her son's hand before bringing it to her lips. "I'm fine, Ralphie. It's just uncomfortable."

"Maybe I should get Toby. He should look at it again just to be sure." Ralph was no longer upset with his mother for grounding him but worried. Very worried. He started to leave, but Paige pulled him back towards her.

"Nice try," she giggled, but his worried expression did not fall. Her smile did, though, when she noticed tears in the corners of his eyes. "What's wrong, baby?"

He inhaled deeply and pressed his lips together. He forced a smile and released her hand. "It's nothing." Before she could stop him, he sauntered towards the door. "I need to use the facilities. It's just down the hall. I'll be back, I promise."

Frowning, Paige decided not to fight her son. "Okay…."

Ralph did not wait any longer before leaving the hospital room, but he apologized quickly when he accidentally bumped into Walter on his way out. The older genius lifted an eyebrow towards the back of the boy's head and then turned to Paige with concern, ignoring the hot cups of coffee in his hands. "What did I miss?"

Paige sighed and messily combed her fingers through her hair. "I don't…," she worried her bottom lip with her teeth and inhaled slowly. "I don't know myself… He was ornery at first because I wouldn't let him leave the hospital room by himself, and then I winced a little bit because of the pain in my shoulder. Before I know it, it seemed as if… as if he was panicking. I don't know," she shrugged a little, letting out a groan of pain. "I don't know what's bothering him. He wouldn't tell me… He just… He said he was fine and left." She gave Walter a tired smile. "Sound familiar?"

Walter nodded, recognizing the pattern immediately. "Do you…," he pointed towards the hallway, "Erm… would you like me to talk to him?"

Paige's eyes lit up. "Could you? I m-mean," she flushed a little. They never really talked about their kiss back inside the elevator, "T-That is, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Walter nodded with a smile. He leaned forward to place the two coffee cups he had been holding on the little table attached to Paige's hospital bed. "Yours is on the right, closest to you," he noted quietly before quickly circling back over to the door.

"Walter?"

He didn't hesitate to stop and immediately spun around to see what Paige needed. "Yes?"

Paige smiled warmly at the man she loved. "Thank you."

Walter grinned a little as he gave Paige a thumb's up. "No problem."

And as Walter hurried after Ralph, Paige sighed loudly. When it came to her two favorite geniuses, she definitely had her hands full, but she wouldn't trade it for the world.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

Ralph actually did have to go to the bathroom. That was not a lie. But it wasn't an entire truth either. After relieving himself, in spite of his promise to return immediately, he wondered around the corner of the hallway and took a seat on the bench stretching along the adjacent wall. He leaned forward and folded his hands together, resting his forehead on his knuckles as his elbows propped themselves up on his knees. He closed his eyes, needing to think.

His reaction… it was illogical at best. He knew his mom was fine. Her stitches were still there, but both Toby and the doctor said her wound would heal nicely in time. She was in no more danger. He knew that. He really did, but… the way his mom passed off her pain like she did in the elevator made him angry. Not at her. Most definitely not at her. But at himself. He was helpless. He couldn't do anything for her on the elevator, and he couldn't do anything for her a few minutes ago to ease her discomfort.

That's why he did what he did. That's why he risked his life to save everyone… to save his mom. Walter. The Team. The civilians. He knew he could disarm the bomb. He was very confident in himself, and disarming bombs – that was something he could do with ease. That was something he could do without panic and without fearing the unknown. He hated the unknown.

Yes, he disobeyed his mother, but he just couldn't place his faith in the Bomb Squad. He knew how to disarm it. He knew how to keep his family safe so he felt entitled to it.

Ralph exhaled. No matter his reason, his mother wouldn't understand. She couldn't understand…, could she?

He heard a faint creak and opened his eyes to find Walter sitting next to him. His mentor was leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him. They made eye contact briefly before Ralph looked away, suddenly feeling ashamed for some reason.

"You took a big risk today," was the first thing Walter said after several minutes of deafening silence.

"You take big risks all the time," Ralph retorted with a small frown. "I'm just like you, Walt. We think alike. I don't see why you're so surprised."

"Yes, we do think alike," Walter agreed but matched Ralph's frown. "But, you and I both know, we're not entirely the same. You're more like your mother than you know. Over the years, I've watched you strive in establishing and maintaining friendships with your peers, something I've never been able to do when I was your age. You might hate going to a school with Normals and sitting in classrooms through lectures you knew about since you were four or five, but thanks to Paige, it's helping you on a social front. You've been to birthday parties, and you weren't made into a laughing stock. That's a major accomplishment if you ask me."

Ralph had to admit that Walter was right. He _does_ make friends pretty easily…, but that's beside the point. "And that's significant to what I did because…?"

"Think about it… for one moment, forget about your success. Forget about disarming the bomb and forget about your confidence in the knowledge behind disarming it. What do you think would have happened if you failed?"

"A lot of people would die." Ralph replied slowly.

"Maybe, maybe not. Most of the building was already evacuated by the time the rescue team came to the hotel. And had it not been for the confidence we had in your intellect, we would have been forcefully removed from the premises too. They have protocols to follow. Albeit, Team Scorpion has been known not to follow them from time to time, but that's another lecture for another time." Walter could see that Ralph was struggling to understand him so he decided to take things from a different approach. "When you and your mother were on that sabotaged train last year, and when I selfishly uncoupled the train after knowing you two would be safe, what was going through your mind?"

Ralph understood it now. "I was upset. I was scared and knew that if that moment was the last time I'd see you, I would miss you very much."

Walter gave the boy a small grin. "Yes. And if you were unsuccessful tod—"

"If I had been unsuccessful, my mom… you… the team… my friends… You guys would all be sad and would miss me terribly." Ralph replied quietly. He felt sick to his stomach. He didn't think… He should have considered that outcome….

"Which is why..."

"Which is why I shouldn't jump at the chance to be the hero…" Ralph concluded as he clenched his fists. "I'm sorry… I didn't… I'm sorry."

"Living, I've discovered," Walter mindlessly patted Ralph's shoulder, "is much more important than being a hero sometimes." The older genius smiled softly at his prodigy. "I learned that the hard way… when Megan passed."

Ralph blinked, wondering what Walter could mean.

As if reading the boy's mind, Walter explained. "That night… when we got back to the garage after Megan's passing, I felt like the biggest failure in the world. I had failed my sister, and I had failed myself because I made a promise to both of us… that I would find a way to save her. But in the end, it was too late. Instead of focusing on my time trying to save Megan, I should have spent those last months with her as much as possible. I regret that very much, but you know what?"

"What?" Ralph didn't blink as he waited for Walter to continue.

"Despite my failure as a brother and as a genius to save her, I still had your mother…, you…, my parents…, Cabe…. I had everybody that really mattered right there with me when I needed them. Even, if at the time, I didn't think I needed them, I'm glad all of you guys had my back because it helped me move forward." Walter smiled wider and surprised the boy when he tugged Ralph closer to him for a side hug. "The point is… at the end of the day, no matter the outcome of a case, we're all still family. The people who love you will continue loving you no matter what. You and I both need to remember that before we do something stupid, okay?"

Ralph nodded slowly. "Okay."

Walter gave Ralph a quick hug before standing up. "If you need to stay here and think some more, I don't think that should be a problem. I should go back and check on your mother."

As Walter turned to leave, Ralph reached for his mentor's hand and grabbed it. "Wait."

Walter spun around and frowned when he saw the distress in Ralph's eyes. Immediately, Walter was on his knees, kneeling in front of the child. "What is it, buddy? What's wrong?"

"Mom… Do you think she's really mad at me for doing what I did?"

Walter could see the guilt in Ralph's eyes, and it pained him to see Ralph internally struggling so much. "I think your mother was scared, Ralph. You know as well as I do that she has lost a lot of people in her life, and when you went back into the elevator without a second's thought, she was hysterical. She tried to climb back down after you, but because she was so rattled, she couldn't figure out how to undo her harness. And when we were on the landing above, she tried her damnedest to go after you. Cabe had to hold on to her to keep her from doing something rash. That's why I went back down… because I knew – I had faith in your abilities – you would need help getting out of the elevator once the bomb was disarmed. Success aside, you really scared her, Ralph. All she wants is to protect you… we all do… and we can't do that if you're reckless."

Ralph kicked at the floor and frowned as his mind tried to wrap around Walter's response. "So I'm grounded because she's scared to lose me and wants to lock me up forever?"

Walter laughed a little. "No… I don't think that's the entire reason. Fear might play a part of it, but you did disobey her, Ralph. Being grounded is a logical repercussion."

"But for two months?" Ralph pursed his lips. "Why two months? That's a bit… much, don't you think?"

"Only time will tell," Walter shrugged. "If you're good and don't step out of line, she might give you back at least some of your freedom… _Might_." Walter could tell there was something still bothering Ralph as he constantly glanced down the hallway where his mother's hospital room was located. "Something's still bothering you, Ralph. Even I can pick up on it."

Ralph peered around the corner and looked at the door to Paige's room. "Is Mom really all right? She seemed like she was in pain earlier."

Walter exhaled and nodded. "She's going to be fine. She's just a little uncomfortable. That's all."

"But how do you know?" Ralph asked, his question stumping Walter.

"Because," Walter grinned reassuringly, "Medicine… Science… dictates she will make a full recovery."

Ralph frowned. "But she… her shoulder… the elevator…." Ralph felt thick in the chest and started breathing heavier. In full panic, Ralph turned to Walter. "You have to help her, Walter! Her shoulder! Her shoulder is injured! She's losing blood! Mom is losing so much blood!" Ralph grasped his head and collapsed to his knees. "I can't do anything for her… I'm useless. She's losing so much blo-"

"Ralph!" Walter cupped the boy's face and shook him gently. "Ralph!" The boy's eyes flickered to the older genius, and Walter could tell he got through to him. "Ralph, your mother is safe. She's in the hospital and safe." He quickly brought the boy into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Your mother is perfectly safe, okay? Okay?"

"But she was…"

"She's okay, Ralph." Walter moved back a little. "And you weren't useless. You helped so many people yesterday and were very brave for Paige. You helped her when it mattered most, and because of you, because you continuously kept her from falling asleep and aided her in any way she needed, she's alive." Walter smiled softly, wiping away Ralph's tears with his thumbs. "Paige is alive because of you. Don't you dare think otherwise. You understand me?"

The boy's mentor raised his eyebrows, waiting for Ralph to respond.

Ralph nodded slowly again and sniffed a little. "I wasn't useless?"

"No," Walter shook his head with a genuine grin, "You weren't."

The boy's eyes lit up much like his mother's earlier, and he smiled. He stood up and stretched before tugging on Walter's hand towards the opposite end of the hallway, away from Paige's room. "I want to buy Mom some flowers as an apology…," he looked up at his father figure. "Do you mind paying?"

Walter grinned ear to ear. "Not at all. In fact," he ruffled the boy's hair, "let's both get some."

Ralph and Walter smiled the whole way to the flower shop.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

Paige's eyes were wide as she was ambushed with two very beautiful bouquets of assorted blooms blocking her sight from the rest of the room. She could smell a mix of lavender and roses, carnations and lilies, daffodils and daisies. If she didn't know better, the whole floral shop was burying her alive. It wasn't until Walter and Ralph stepped back did realize the arrangements were smaller than she thought. Ralph climbed up on her hospital bed and handed her his bouquet. "We didn't know what sort of flowers to get, so we got a bunch of them." Ralph seemed quite proud of this accomplishment, making Paige smile. "Why thank you, baby…, but," she cocked an eyebrow, "what are they for?"

"I wanted to apologize," Ralph bit his lip softly and let out a breath to compose himself. "I was rash, and I didn't realize how selfish my actions were until just recently… I shouldn't be upset with you for grounding me. It's a logical punishment _despite my success_ , and I technically did ask for it… Anyway," he shook his thoughts, "I was inconsiderate of your feelings and of your orders, and to make up for being an egotistical imbecile earlier, I wanted to give you these." He brought the flowers up to her nose again, and she sniffed them slowly.

"They're beautiful," Paige beamed, holding the arrangement of blooms in one hand while leaning over to hug her son with the other. "You have a good eye."

Deciding not to counter her statement, Ralph nodded quietly and flushed with embarrassment. "Th-Thanks." He paused for a moment and cringed a little. "Am I still grounded?"

"Yup." Paige smiled without hesitation.

"Dang. Had to try at least." Ralph shrugged before moving closer to his mother. He snuggled as close to Paige as possible and yawned loudly, causing Paige to giggle quietly while combing her fingers through his thick hair.

The boy was out in minutes.

Paige then turned her attention to Walter. "And what are _those_ for."

A smile colored the genius's lips. "They're for you."

She blinked. "Why?"

Walter shrugged a little and casually responded, "Just because."

Paige couldn't help the grin forming on her lips. "Come here," she instructed him. He was immediately in front of her, taking Ralph's bouquet and placing it on the chair with his bouquet behind him as if he already knew what she was planning. Paige then threaded her fingers through Walter's curls and tugged him downward until his lips met hers.

Walter moved in to kiss her deeper, lightly grazing her tongue with his, but before anything progressed, Ralph stirred, forcing the two apart. Both genius and liaison watched Ralph for a moment, and Paige leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "I love him so much, and I'm glad he finally came around, but… I wish I knew what was bothering him. He hardly tells me anything anymore."

"There was a lot he was dealing with on his own," Walter replied quietly as he took Paige's hand in his and squeezed her fingers gently, sending her a small smile. "He'll tell you when he's ready. I'm sure of it."

Paige beamed at her son. "If you say so." Paige noticed the bags under her son's little eyes, "I'm really proud of him…. In spite of his recklessness, I'm a very proud mother. Because of Ralph, so many good things happen." She squeezed Walter's hand gently. "Because of Ralphie, people are alive. Lots of people." She blinked back her tears, "Giving birth to Ralph was the best thing that could ever happen to me. I was scared out of my mind when he was born… Not like yesterday, but still very scared. Drew wasn't around during the delivery…, and my father passed away long before then so I was alone in the hospital giving birth to this beautiful boy. I am a better person because of him, and I really hope, one day, he realizes just how precious he is to me."

"I think he already does," Walter smirked proudly. "After all, you, Paige, are also his most important person. You're his constant. He wouldn't know what to do without you. Trust me on that fact. I know it all too well."

Paige eyes met Walter's abruptly, and then she smiled widely. "Yeah?"

The genius, in turn, grinned ear to ear.

"Yeah."

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **There you have it! The end!**

 **For those wondering how it was inspired by WeBuiltThePyramid's "In the Name of Silence" … here's how: When I first came up with the story, it was after Paige gave birth to Ralph in ITNOS. I started imagining all of the ways Paige could be proud of Ralph and how she would look back on the day of his birth and regard it as the best day of her life no matter how lonely and painful it must have been.**

 **At first, I was going to have Ralph deliver a baby in the elevator (hence the pregnant lady). As I continued the story, it involved into something much more complex so I decided to axe the elevator birth idea and went with what is written now.**

 **Hope that makes sense.**

 **Please review! You know us writers love them! :D**


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